Today, we gather to celebrate the life of my grandmother, Marilyn Marjorie Shaw. On behalf of my mother and uncles and all of Marilyn's family, I would like to thank you for coming to share in our sorrow, but also to share in our joy as we remember Grandma's wonderful life. She was a devoted wife, mother, sister, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend. I'm sure each of you here today has a special memory on how my grandma touched your life.

Grandma was born on Feb. 24, 1927, in Wichita, Kansas, to Dr. J. Rex and Marjorie Trotter. She grew up in Quinter, Kansas, during the Great Depression and was an only child for 13 years before her brother, Jim, was born. In 1942, Grandma's family moved back to Wichita. She attended Wichita East High School, graduating in 1945. On October 20, 1945, Grandma married Melvin Shaw. They settled in Oakley after World War II and later had two children, Linda and Kevin. She remained faithfully married to Grandpa for 66 years until his passing last year.

Grandma spent most of her children's early years as a homemaker. She loved music; she played the saxophone and piano. My mom, Linda, remembers dancing the Twist to some Rock 'n Roll music one time, and Grandma said, "I bet I can do it," and she ended up being better than Mom! Grandma and Grandpa were also really good at the Jitterbug, and during Christmas one year, they danced all around my Uncle Jim's living room with an impromptu performance.

When her children were older, Grandma became the secretary for the Oakley Elementary School. She worked there for 26 years, retiring in 1989. Gene Fricker, who was the principal at the elementary school when Grandma was there, said he told Grandma he was going to retire. She replied, "I might as well retire, too, because I don't think I can break in another principal!"

Though retired, Grandma remained very active in the Oakley community. She volunteered at the Second Time Around shop for several years. She was a faithful member of the Oakley United Methodist Church, where she played piano at Bible school and served on different church committees. She also loved playing cards, and frequently played in a Bridge club. She also was a member of the Oakley VFW Post 2981 Ladies Auxiliary.

I will forever cherish the Oakley summers my brother, Shawn, and I spent with Grandma and Grandpa – the many Fourths of July shooting fireworks, the trips to Colorado Springs, Thanksgivings and Christmases and the days after we got home, when I would cry and cry missing our time together. I remember when I was 4 years old. My family had just returned home from a trip to Oakley, and I missed Grandma. I had worked really hard to memorize her phone number. So, I decided to call her… in the middle of the day… long distance… just to talk. My Grandma answered the phone, surprised to hear my voice on the other end, and asked, "Do your parents know you're calling me?" I told her, "Yes," (even though she knew they didn't). She just laughed and said, "How did you remember my phone number?" I simply replied, "Because you taught it to me."

Shawn remembers a time when he was staying with Grandma and Grandpa for a week by himself and he got hives. He remembers waking Grandma up in the middle of the night and her putting Calamine lotion all over him.

Grandma was a loving, caring and supportive person. She is remembered for her positive attitude and never speaking badly about anyone. Grandma took great pride in her appearance, and always looked her best everywhere she went. She always had a warm bed and a nice meal for travelers, and she did a great job of keeping in touch with family and friends and updating everyone on the latest news. She was a huge KU basketball fan and rarely missed a game. During a recent hospital stay, she was annoyed that the television in her room didn't have the channel that KU was playing on, and she had to miss the game.

When I think of Grandma, I see a brown-eyed woman in a house robe, slippers and glasses, sitting on the living room sofa, holding a cup of coffee, petting the cats and dogs. She's the one who always let me sneak in bed with her in the early morning hours, who played piano with me and shared my love of old photographs. She taught me how to play solitaire and uno. She loved her soap operas, classic movies and musicals. To her grandkids, she was the queen of "Tickle-bug." Grandma loved games, especially card games, and every time our family got together, we always played cards. Hearts was one of our favorite games to play, and I'm really glad we were able to play together this past Christmas.

Grandma was a great cook (I know I will really miss our traditional bacon and eggs brunch). However, Grandma never really ate a lot at mealtimes, because she preferred to snack on chocolate throughout the day. She also secretly enjoyed it when my family came to visit for Thanksgiving, because she and my dad were the only two people who liked pecan pie, and she was happy that she could make one just for the two of them. I am grateful for all of the recipes she passed down to me. I am also grateful for our conversations. I loved to just sit and talk with her about anything, no matter how trivial. She always had time for me and my brother. She was never too busy for her grandkids.

I am also thankful that my daughters were able to know such a wonderful great-grandma. She played Peek-a-Boo and Pat-a-Cake with them, sang songs with them, and even invented a game with my oldest daughter, Grace, called "Hide the Watch." To a 1-year-old little girl, it was the best game ever!

I know that wherever Grandma is now, she is happy. I can only imagine how joyous the reunion was with all of her family members, especially with my Grandpa. She gave everything she had and more to make us all as happy as possible. Her sacrifices did not go unnoticed. Her love is forever appreciated and valued more than she will ever know.

God had a special plan for Grandma. I think He knew that Heaven couldn't ever really be Heaven without her. I don't know why He waited so long to call her home, but I'm so very thankful that He did.

We love you, Grandma, and cherish you with all our hearts. You sit now upon puffy clouds set against crisp, blue skies; yet you are still with us all, watching over us with love. Thank you for all of your kindness and sweet words. Thank you for your smiles and your hugs. Thank you for the funny stories and all the wonderful food you cooked. Thank you for always thinking of everyone else long before you ever thought of yourself. Thank you for making our lives far more special than they ever could have been without you.

We love you, Grandma, and we'll see you again someday. By Amber Koehn, granddaughter

Marilyn Marjorie Shaw, age 85, died Sunday, February 3, 2013 at her home in Oakley. She was born on February 24, 1927 in Wichita, Kansas to J. Rex and Marjorie ElDora (Hibarger) Trotter.

Marilyn grew up in Quinter as a child during the Great Depression. In 1942, her parents moved back to Wichita where she attended Wichita East High School and graduated in 1945. She married Melvin Len "Mel" Shaw on October 20, 1945 in Wichita. To this union, Linda and Kevin were born. She was a loving wife and mother raising her family. She loved music, playing the piano and saxophone. She became the office secretary for the Elementary School in Oakley for 26 years and retired in 1989.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Rex and Marjorie, and husband Mel who passed away on January 6, 2012.

She is survived by her son Kevin Shaw of Oakley, daughter Linda Miller and husband Roger of Rose Hill, Kansas, two grandchildren: Shawn Miller and wife Danielle of Vail, Colorado and Amber Koehn and husband Joel of Rose Hill, four great grandchildren: Grace, Natalie, Madeline, and Sydney Koehn of Rose Hill, and a brother Jim Trotter of Rancho Mirage, California.

Funeral service is at 10:00 a.m. Friday, February 8, 2013 at the Oakley United Methodist Church with burial in the Oakley Cemetery. Visitation: 5 – 7 p.m. Thursday, February 7 at the church. The family will receive friends from 6 – 7 p.m. Memorials to the church in care of Koster Funeral Home, PO Box 221, Oakley 67748. condolences: www.kennedykosterfh.com