Marilyn Juhl

Marilyn Juhl died at the age of 88 on December 23, 2021, at Lantern Park Care Center in Coralville, Iowa, from complications of aging. Services will be held 11 a.m. Friday, January 7, 2022 at Mitchellville Christian Church, 210 3rd St NW, Mitchellville with interment to follow at Mitchellville Cemetery. Family will greet friend one hour prior to the service at the church. The family requests that masks be worn for the indoor part of the service.

She was born Marilyn Edwina Booth on February 23, 1933, on Patchie’s Place, a farm just northwest of Harlan, Iowa, to Loren and Lilly (Nelson) Booth. Her love for learning, especially reading, began very early in a one-room schoolhouse in Redline, Iowa, when she entered the first grade at the age of five. With the breakdown of her parent’s marriage in 1941, Marilyn, along with her siblings, were taken to the Elim Lutheran Children’s Home in Elk Horn, Iowa, where she lived and went to school until the age of sixteen. On October 18, 1949, in Hiawatha, Kansas, Marilyn married Russell Eugene Juhl. To this union were born: Larry, Steve, Gale and Kurt.

Even after marriage and having four sons, Marilyn continued her education. She attained her GED in 1954 and when she began working at Grand View University in the 1968 and she took classes, attaining her Associate’s degree in 1974, and her Bachelor’s degree from Drake University in 1975. She was awarded a Master’s of Library Science from Missouri State University in Warrensburg, Missouri., in 1979. She worked at her dream job as Reference Librarian at Grand View University until retiring in 1993. Upon her retirement she wrote a book about where she grew up, the Elim Lutheran Children’s Home in Elk Horn, Iowa.

Marilyn loved her husband, Russell, dearly and their home on 3rd Street in Mitchellville, especially when it was filled with family and friends. Marilyn enjoyed sewing and sewed quilt after quilt whether it be for a birth, graduation, or marriage. It was her passion. She was also a long-time member of the Mitchellville Christian Church where she served as Elder and eventual Elder Emeritus.

Marilyn is preceded in death by her husband, Russell; her parents, Loren and Lilly (Nelson) Booth; her brothers, Edwin (RoseMary), Vaughan, Richard, and DeWitt (Shirley); her sisters, Patricia May, Lorena (Richard Petersen), Charlene (Svend Christensen), and Vicki Lee (Bryce McCracken); and her nephew, David Petersen.

Marilyn is survived by her brother-in-law, Richard Juhl, and his wife, Colleen, of Denison, Iowa; sons, Larry and Pam Juhl of Des Moines, Iowa; Steve and Jill Juhl of Lakeland, Florida; Gale and Denise Juhl of Pleasant Hill, Iowa; and Kurt Juhl of North Liberty, Iowa; eleven grandchildren, Chantilly (Tasha), Brandon (Kari), Jennifer (Christopher), Heather, Mark, Tiffany, Danielle (Christopher), Meggan (Kevin), Jacob (Jennifer), Abigale (Zachary), and Matthew (Sarah); twenty great-grandchildren, Zachary, Zoey, Kiersten, Keegan, Tyler, Tanner, Kayla, Amanda, Samantha, Kelsey, Lexi, Levi, Faith, Kate, Luke, Izibelle, Mae, Amelia, Truman and Florence. She also was blessed by the love of many nephews and nieces.

The family would like to acknowledge the special love and kindness of Chantilly Barr, who in her capacity of Director of Nursing at Marilyn’s nursing home, provided special care and love to her grandmother during the last year and a half of Marilyn’s life. The entire facility knew Marilyn simply as “Grandma” and their kindness and gentleness in difficult times was so very much appreciated.

In lieu of flowers Marilyn’s family requests memorials be directed University of Iowa Children’s Hospital in honor of Marilyn and TYLER’S TRIBE. Marilyn was so proud of the tenacity of her great grandson Tyler in his struggle with leukemia and wants to continue to support his struggle and all those children fighting leukemia.

Print