Marianne Erwin

Mrs. Marianne Miller Erwin, 85, of Broken Arrow passed away Monday morning in Bartlesville. She was born in West Point, Mississippi on Saturday, May 1, 1937 to Enoch and Layla (Nixon) Miller. She was preceded in death by her husband Eugene, brother Notchy Miller, and both parents. She is survived both sisters Layla and Nancy. Her father died suddenly when Marianne was in high school and the family moved to Fayetteville, AR so her mother could complete a teaching degree to support the family. Marianne didn’t like being uprooted during her senior year, so when she got approval for a visit back to West Point, she secretly packed all of her clothes and made plans to stay in West Point with a friend’s family for her last semester so she could graduate with her class. This was probably her only act of rebellion. After that she returned to Fayetteville and enrolled in the University of Arkansas. She made friends with the girl next door, Virginia Erwin. As they got to know each other better, Virginia told Marianne, “You’ll love my brother!” and so she did. Eugene truly married the girl next door, and they were married for 52 years before he passed away in 2010. They had three children, Lisa, Eddie, and Michael, and three grandchildren, Casey, Matt, and Jordan. Anyone who knew Marianne, knew how much she loved to read and tell stories. She was an incredible teacher and librarian. She taught students from many backgrounds over the years, from children of well-traveled diplomats in Alexandria, VA, to the rural poor in Eureka Springs, AR (before Beaver Lake had been created), recent immigrants in Del Rio, TX, and children from a low-income housing project in North Little Rock, AR. Besides teaching those students reading and math, she wanted to show them the world outside their neighborhood. She organized field trips to the zoo, museums, and the mall, where some of the children saw an escalator for the first time. They rode up and down repeatedly! After moving to the media center, she had an impact on all of the students in the school, in all the grade levels. She earned many awards, including 1982 Broken Arrow Teacher of the Year and 1990 Nominee for State Polly Clark Award for Outstanding Library Media Specialist. She loved story time and would make the stories come alive by using props. For example, when telling the story of “Crictor the Boa Constrictor,” she would wrap a 6-foot-long fabric stuffed boa constrictor to around her shoulders. Marianne loved being a grandmother. She would frequently have the grandchildren over to spend the night, go on fishing trips, and of course, have story times, quizzes, and games. Gene and Marianne were quite active in their church, First United Methodist in Broken Arrow. Marianne taught Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, and they both delivered homemade bread and info packets to church visitors, led the Alpha Group Outreach Program, and served in many other ways. After Marianne retired from Broken Arrow Public Schools, her next focus was on building the library at First United Methodist Church. She loved to organize the books and choose books to round out the church’s collection. She was particularly fond of inspirational romance novels. Everyone loves a heroine whose faith helps her overcome struggles and who finds true love before the story ends. Besides reading, she loved crossword puzzles. She continued working them until her final days, and regularly challenged people to spell words. She almost always got them right too! She was a remarkable woman and we were blessed to have her in our lives. In her memory, please read a story to a child, and enjoy a good book for yourself. A Service honoring her life will be held 1pm, Tuesday, March 28 at Hayhurst Funeral Home Chapel with burial following at Floral Haven Memorial Gardens. Those left to cherish her memory are: Daughter Lisa Carlson and husband Tim of Bartlesville Sons Eddie Erwin and wife Leann of Broken Arrow Michael Erwin and partner Christina Lipnicky of Euless, Texas Grandchildren Casey Carlile and husband Alex Weber-Kamin of La Jolla, California Matthew Carlile and wife Haley of Broken Arrow Jordan Erwin of Broken Arrow Sisters Layla Lord and late husband Dick of Contoocook, New Hampshire Nancy Matesky and husband Michael of Bothell, Washington Services are under the direction of Hayhurst Funeral Home of Broken Arrow.

Tributes

Marianne Erwin

May 1, 1937 - March 20, 2023