Obituary of Marilyn W. Little

Marilyn W. Little, 92, passed away Wednesday, March 15, 2023 at Mercy Hospital in Iowa City.

Visitation will be held 2:00 to 4:00 P.M., Sunday, March 19, 2023 at the Henderson-Barker Funeral Home, West Liberty. Funeral service 10:00 A.M. Monday at the funeral home. Burial will be in the Oak Ridge Cemetery.

Marilyn Wiedle Little was born on July 10, 1930 in Cool Valley, Missouri to Fred and Effie (Yarber) Wiedle. She was a 1948 graduate of Ferguson High School and went on to graduate from Washington University with a B.A. in French and Education. She met Robert H. Little, Jr. while she was a roommate of his sister, Marguerite. They married on August 25, 1955 in Ferguson, Missouri.

She taught junior high science classes at Lindbergh High School before moving to West Liberty, Iowa. Starting out as a French teacher in West Liberty, she got her Masters in English at the University of Iowa and taught college prep English there. She brought AP classes to the school system.

Outside of teaching, Marilyn was known as a gardener. She was a charter member of the Cedar Valley Iris and Daylily Society and a member of the West Liberty Garden Club for many years. Fresh tomatoes from the garden was one of her favorite things.

She loved handcrafts of all sorts including knitting, quilting, weaving, spinning, cross-stitch, and needlepoint. She was a decades-long member of the Iowa City Craft Guild, was one of the founders of the West Liberty Quilt Club, and belonged to Old Capitol Quilters for many years.

She was a member of West Liberty United Methodist church and the local chapter of the Federated Woman’s Club.

She is preceded in death by her husband Bob and her sister Susan Albert. She is survived by her only child, Gretchen Little, as well as nieces and nephews: Dave and Patty Nichols, Doug and Mona Nichols, Julie Olson and great-nieces and nephews Anderson, Carey, Julia, Jamie, Taylor and one great-great nephew, Nico.