Marilyn Jean Davis Twede

Marilyn Jean Davis Twede, our precious mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, and friend returned to her Heavenly home and the arms of her beloved husband on November 3, 2023. It was a day that she had looked forward to longingly for many years because of her unwavering faith in where she was going and who would meet her there. 

Born on May 15, 1931, to Elizabeth (Bessie) Julia Lindsay Davis and Rulon Hawkins Davis in Salt Lake City, Utah. Marilyn was the second of five children. She spoke often about those beautiful early years. She adored her parents, and the stability and warmth in her childhood home set the solid foundation for her life. She went on to create that same environment for her own children and grandchildren. Marilyn was loved, and Marilyn loved.  To all who knew her, love was who she was. Her gift of expression connected her to an ever-growing posterity as she called, texted, and wrote, regularly, just to say, “Well, I sure love you, honey.”

Marilyn went to BYU where, in 1953, she met La Mar Twede, who was first her friend, and then her sweetheart. They were married in the Salt Lake Temple on June 4, 1954. Their early years of marriage were happy and adventurous. La Mar served in the Air Force and their assignments took their young family all over North America. These experiences of seeing new places and meeting all different types of people reinforced Marilyn’s belief that we are all part of God’s family and fostered the childlike wonder that burned bright through the rest of her life. 

La Mar and Marilyn had five children whom they considered to be their greatest blessings. Marilyn talked of the challenges of raising those children, often alone while La Mar worked and served in Vietnam, with her characteristic, good-humored honesty (“It was awful!”), while also maintaining her evergreen faith in God and in His plan for her. She accepted that the struggles were an important teaching tool in her life, and she never faltered in her certainty that God knew and loved her. This faith was tested when her dear La Mar unexpectedly passed away in 1994. She spent every day of the nearly three decades that followed longing for him, but never doubting that they would be together once again. What a sacred reunion that must have been!

Marilyn’s 25 grandchildren were truly her pride and joy. She never said no to a sleepover, and countless weekends found her coaxing grandkids to bed with her famous rendition of One Eye, Two Eyes, Three Eyes. She equally adored all 49 of her great-grandchildren, and nearly every vertical surface of her house was wallpapered with their photos and artwork. A common experience among Marilyn’s visitors was a sense of amazement that her sharp mind could recount the fine details in the lives of all of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Her commitment to know each of them as individuals was a profound declaration of love. 

Animal companions were a special part of Marilyn’s life, and she delighted in the many, birds, dogs, and cats, she had over the years.  She always had a small dog to keep her company. The last was her precious little Maltese, Nani, who was her closest companion and friend especially during the COVID lock downs.   When her son, David was returning from a church mission in Guatemala, he smuggled home a wild parrot in his suit pocket. Some mothers would balk at such a discovery, but Marilyn took it in stride, bought a bird cage, and went on to become the only person that the bird (Chulo) didn’t bite regularly. Over the next 20 years she could often be found with Chulo perched on her shoulder while she puttered around doing housework or cooking a meal. 

An optimist, a gardener, an animal lover, a storyteller, a knick-knack collector, a Hallmark movie enthusiast, our longsuffering matriarch. Marilyn wanted to be remembered for her love of God and her love of family, and that will undoubtedly be her legacy. 

Marilyn is survived by her five children; Sandi (Brent) Young, Mike (Vickie) Twede, Susie (Lynn) Alvey, David Twede, Jim (Jill) Twede; 25 grandchildren, 49 great-grandchildren, and her two sisters, Diane Godfrey and Julia Nielsen. She was preceded in death by her parents, Bessie and Rulon Davis, her husband, La Mar; brother, Richard (Dick) Davis, and older sister, Gloria who died in infancy.

Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. at her home ward the Oak Forest Ward, 2250 E. 2200 N. Layton, Utah on Saturday, November 18, 2023. A viewing will be held from 9:15  to 9:45 a.m. prior to the service.

The family wishes to thank the many kind employees at Fairfield Village where she lived for 10 plus years; her angel healer, Angie Winter who got her through COVID; and the kind nurses who so lovingly cared for her - Seong, Angie, Ciara and Dan.  And lastly, we express our deep appreciation for Marilyn’s many dear friends, who cared, worried and prayed for her, especially in her later years of her life.

Interment will be in the Kaysville Cemetery where she will rest next to her dear husband.

Services will be zoomed by this address:

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