The Marathon community lost one of its finest members with the passing of longtime resident Marilyn Tempest on June 26. Known as a mainstay at St. Columba Episcopal Church, as a respected former Marathon City Councilwoman, and as a director, producer, actress and vocalist extraordinaire at Marathon Community Theatre, Marilyn undoubtedly left her mark in her 26 years on the island. Keys Weekly published an obituary for Marilyn written by her sons Scott and Mark in our July 14 issue, but in the wake of her passing, we took time to speak with those in the community who knew her best. Here are just a few of the many incredible sentiments we received:
“As a military family, we moved quite often, so she never got a chance to get actively involved in her community. Retiring to Marathon gave her that opportunity and she took full advantage of it. She loved Marathon and was passionate about contributing where she could.”
— Marilyn’s son Scott Tempest
“I will always treasure her kind and considerate counsel. I will always appreciate her honesty and caring. I will always respect her drive to do the right thing, even when not in her best interest. I will always remember her beautiful blue eyes and smile that would light up a room. I will always be inspired by how she was just as motivated in the role of teammate as a team leader. She will live on through the impacts that she made among family and friends as well as directly in the eyes and smiles of her grandchildren.”
— Marilyn’s son Mark Tempest
“After I took a directing class and read several books on the subject, I still didn’t feel confident about my ability to direct. Rita Irwin had mentioned that an aspiring director could learn a lot by picking a director they really admired, so I asked Marilyn if I could be her stage manager for the next play she directed. I loved Marilyn’s directing style. Gently but firmly, she molded her actors until they fit her vision of their character while still giving them plenty of freedom of expression. Best of all, she never publicly embarrassed any member of her cast or crew, no matter how bad a night they had at rehearsal. She knew instinctively that the best prop they could take on stage with them was confidence.”
— Jackie O’Neil, friend and fellow MCT director
“She was my angel on earth. She rescued me after Irma. When my house was destroyed, she gave me a key to her house and said ‘You stay there.’ When her husband died and she came back, she said, ‘We’re in this for the long haul.’ I lived with her for 20 months while my new house was being built. She let me set up a little office at the end of the island in her kitchen, and I’d be sitting there arguing with FEMA and SBA and insurance people. When she died, I felt the same way as I did when my sister died. She was family.”
— Claudia McEwen, friend and longtime production crew member
“Marilyn was a person of deep faith and was a good friend to the church and to the community. She was a huge part of our parish, serving in lots of different ways, most recently in the choir. I think what I will miss the most are her great smile and her really positive energy. She was a great person.”
— Reverend Debra Maconaughey, St. Columba Episcopal Church
“She was one of the smartest council members we ever had; she understood the issues and she deeply cared about our community. She was an incredible feminist without running around yelling feminist ideas. We don’t have the tact that Marilyn had in her pinky toe. The difference with her is that when she disagreed, in lieu of partisan politics and slashing at opponents, she posed meaningful questions and inspired dialogue that created an environment of growth. She refused to get drawn into the hideousness of it, but she would ask questions that would bring everybody to the table.”
— John and Sarah Bartus
“We didn’t agree politically on anything; however, we had an immense respect for each other. She was a lead-by-example person. She didn’t demand anything out of anyone that she didn’t do herself or know how to do. As far as MCT goes, she donated not only money and time, but blood. She was instrumental in helping us open back up after Irma. To be a good leader, you have to be a good follower, and she was both. She had a genuine caring for human beings, and she cared about people being happy. I loved her like a second mom.”
— Former MCT president Jim “Boomer” Kelly
“I don’t think you could meet Marilyn without walking away a better person. You could be 180 degrees from what her viewpoint was, but she would encourage you to speak your mind. A funny story: One night I went over to make dinner for her, but she said she wasn’t hungry. She told me, ‘I did something bad. I went to the store when I was hungry.’ I looked in the trash can and found an entire pack of Oreos, and I saw a little container with eight Oreos on the end of the counter. She told me, ‘Those are yours.’ She never admitted she ate all the Oreos for lunch; no matter what I said, she just said some form of, ‘Those are yours.’ So I’m bringing Oreos to the reception after her celebration of life. You just don’t meet people like her.”
— Karen Diehl, longtime friend and production crew member
“I knew her 70 years ago from high school, but I didn’t really see her again until we were both at the theater. She was obviously very dedicated, very caring and easy to work with. I can’t recall any bad feelings or animosity in any way in anything I ever did while working for her.”
— Coral Construction founder Arnie Steinmetz
