Musician was proud of her patriot lineage

1/7/2004

TIFFIN - Marilynn M. King, 80, an accomplished marimba player, died Monday at the Shawhan, an assisted-living facility in Elmwood.

Mrs. King was long active in the Daughters of the American Revolution, serving as an Ohio regent and later as a vice-president general of the national organization. To belong, DAR members must prove they are a descendant of a patriot of the American Revolution.

Mrs. King had an abiding interest in the work of the DAR, said her husband, Bob. She gave speeches at area schools to attract members. She began playing the marimba, a primitive xylophone with rosewood resonators, while growing up in Indianapolis.

In college, she played it at campus functions while studying for a master s degree in business administration at Indiana University. Her playing became an entree to various social functions.

From 1953 until her retirement in 1978, she was secretary-treasurer of PACCO Corp., a small firm headed by her husband that manufactured specialized marine control devices.

Surviving are her husband, Bob; son, R. Steven; daughters, Constance King and Beverly Sheridan; brother, John E. Miller, and two grandchildren.

Services will be 11 a.m. Friday in First Presbyterian Church. The body will be in the Turner-Engle Funeral Home after 2 p.m. tomorrow.