Marjorie Marilyn Edwards, nee Gaddis, passed away February 11, 2025 in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Born on February 16, 1935, in Beloit, Kansas, to Elmer and Marjorie Gaddis, Marilyn grew-up on a farm as the youngest of four sisters and graduated from Beloit High School in 1952. Serving as a Navy wife for 16 years, she lived in Kansas, Maine, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Florida. Though she resided in Orange Park, Florida for more than 50 years from 1970 to 2022, her rural upbringing on a farm had a long-lasting impact on her world view.
In high school, she picked-up accounting skills that enabled her to succeed in several jobs. Her husband’s Navy deployments resulted in a seven year challenge of full-time, single-motherhood to two children while simultaneously working full-time. She embraced additional parenting tasks such as Cub Scout and Brownie leader earning her a key to the city of Key West for her contributions to the community.
Through her adult life, she kept the books for small businesses, worked for a large insurance firm and as a federal civil servant. After retiring from the government, she worked part-time at a retail store and a tax preparation firm. She enjoyed the social interaction that work provided. In retirement, she especially enjoyed working at Christopher & Banks and spent most of her income buying nice clothing for family and friends. Having grown up with home-made and hand-sewn clothing, she had a very sharp eye for fashion. Not one to let grass grow under her feet, she was an Orange Park Mall walker and fully enjoyed fellowship and coffee with her fellow walkers through the age of 86.
Quick-witted with a knack for self-deprecating humor, she enjoyed “people watching” and regularly complimented others for their clothing or jewelry—even in her final weeks. She also had a keen intellect and passion for words and numbers cracking the daily crossword until her mid-eighties and was formidable at Scrabble and Rummy.
One of her strongest passions was cooking meals for family gatherings. Everyone who came to Marilyn’s home looked forward to dinner and waking up to the smell of bacon and eggs. During the holidays, she showered her family and friends with irresistible chocolate peanut clusters. While her specialty was Midwestern fare, she learned other dishes over the years, clipping recipes and maintaining a somewhat famous box of them on 3x5 cards. Her taco dinners were not to be missed.
Though suffering from dementia in her last decade, she maintained her appreciation for fashion, her sense of humor and her love for good food and family to the very end. When she longed for home, it was usually for her beloved Kansas home on the farm.
Marilyn was predeceased by her sisters, JoAnn Hansen and Audrey Jorgensen and long time companion, Nick Sikes.
She is survived by her daughter Kelley Gangwer (David) of Virginia Beach, VA, son Chris King (Margaret) of Alexandria, VA, grandchildren Chad Gangwer (Anne Douglas), Jason Gangwer, Sarah King and Lisa King, great-grandchildren Elizabeth “Weesie” Gangwer and Halle Gangwer, sister Maurita Mckee (Vernon) of Gainesville, FL.
The family would like to express special thanks to The Gardens of Virginia Beach for their care and kindness over the past two years. We will be eternally grateful to the many nurses and staff for their thoughtfulness and understanding.
Services will be held on February 21, 2025, at Jacksonville Memory Gardens in Orange Park, Florida. Family visitation will begin at 1 pm with the funeral following at 2 pm. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Giles Presbyterian Church, 116 Foxridge Road, Orange Park, FL.
