Marion Lucille "Marilu" Darone Pehrson

Marion Lucille “Marilu” Darone Pehrson, 92, went to join her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Sunday, May 21, 2023.  She passed away peacefully, and her final days were spent in the company of family and devoted friends.

Marilu was born on January 21, 1931, in Erie, Pennsylvania, to E. Maxton Darone and Margaret Martin Darone.  She had two sisters, Peggy Gourley and Judy Hamilton.

After graduating from Wooster College in Wooster, Ohio in 1953, she began a career in education working as a History and English teacher, and then as a school counselor, at Shaker Heights High School in Cleveland, Ohio. 

While living in Cleveland, she met Donald E. Pehrson on a blind date.  That date must have gone pretty well because they later married on July 18, 1959, at her parents’ home on Raspberry Street in Erie, PA.

Don and Marilu went on to have four children, John, Jim, David, and Carolyn, and later, 20 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Once her four children were all in school, Marilu served in several roles over the years that she genuinely enjoyed. Two of these were at Cross & Crown Lutheran Church in Chamblee, Georgia as a part-time church secretary, and later at Winterthur Museum, near Wilmington, Delaware, as a docent/tour guide.

Marilu’s true passion, however, was family.  She was truly a devoted and loving mother and was never happier than when she was hosting a houseful of children, grandchildren and extended family.  Her love of music and singing was frequently a big part of those gatherings.  For many years she held annual  “Christmas Sings” around the family piano in her home.  Countless neighbors and church friends marked their calendars for these special nights and enjoyed a home filled with fun, food, laughter, music, and worship.

In her later years, Marilu lived with two of her children (David Pehrson and then Carolyn Brannan), their spouses and families.  Following that, she moved to Manor Lake Assisted Living in Gainesville, Georgia, which was very close to the home of her daughter, Carolyn.  During her years there, she was blessed to be surrounded by some very special people there who she quickly grew to love and care for.

Marilu joins her husband, Don, her second son, Jim, and her sister Peggy in Heaven.  She is survived by her sister, Judy, her other children (John, David and Carolyn), her children’s spouses, (Stacey Pehrson, Donna Pehrson-Bryant, Elizabeth Pehrson, and James Brannan), and her 26 grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

A small family memorial service remembering Marilu will be held this summer at Georgia National Cemetery in Canton, Georgia.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Loving Arms Cancer Outreach, 844 Livingston Court SE, Marietta, Georgia 30067.

Hillside Chapel Funeral Home and Cremation Services, Gainesville, Georgia.