Marilyn Jean Sutton Diesing, a US Air Force Veteran, Dies at 80

Marilyn Jean Sutton Diesing crossed over to the dimension we know as Heaven on September 13, 2017. I am writing my own obituary. I was there when I took my first breath and now my last breath… Who would know me any better?

‘Miss Marilyn’ was born on May 13, 1937. I was the daughter of the late Arthur and Helen (Yeno) Sutton. This was such a perfect day for me to be born. As life progressed, I, Marilyn, had Friday the 13th birthdays that I always considered my lucky day, Mother’s Day birthdays and the apple trees always bloomed. On December 4, 1960, I married Robert M. Diesing. His journey from this life began May 17, 2015.

Left in the quiet void of my passing are my sons, Edward and Daniel Diesing of Wappingers Falls, and my son Marshall Chilton of Florida. Our daughter Marilyn Jean-Marie predeceased Bob and I on November 10, 2013. I, Marilyn-Jean, am also survived by five precious granddaughters, Tiffany-Lynn Chilton Tai of San Diego and her mother Terri-Lynn of North Carolina, Amanda Nichole Diesing whom resided with me, Ashley Marie de Baun and her father James of South Carolina, Mollie Danielle and Katie-Lynn Diesing and their mother Colleen of Wappingers Falls. I am also survived by my beloved dedicated sister Helen Sutton Parsons of Wappingers Falls, THREE DAUGHTER-LIKE FRIENDS, Linda Marks of East Durham, Nancy Cantarine Loccisano of Wappingers Falls, and Deborah Herman of Saugerties; a niece Ernesta Sutton Spero (Jack) of VA; and a niece Michele Sutton of Poughkeepsie. I was predeceased by my brother Ernest Sutton.

I, Marilyn-Jean, spent my formative years in Clove Valley (La Grangeville). I went to a one-room grade school. I graduated from Arlington High School in 1954. I was in the United States Air Force and I also worked at Western Printing. When I, Marilyn, married Robert Diesing on December 4, 1960, I moved to Meadowbrook Farm in Wappingers Falls. In my heart, I will always be “Little Jeanie Sutton from Clove Valley.” I was always glad that I was a ‘Country Girl.’ Meadowbrook was a dairy farm with twelve milking cows. There was a small table out in front of the house with garden produce for sale. There was a container for money to be left on the honor system. At this time-frame, this road was the ‘main’ road. In 1966,‘The County’ started building a ‘New Road’ that would cut our ‘Meadowbrook Farm’ property in half. Marilyn many times visited with and waited on the customers. The County built a tunnel under ‘the new road’ so that the cows would not have to stop traffic to be crossed to the ‘new property’ twice a day. ‘Miss Marilyn’ had seen these tunnels while stationed in the U.S. Force at Cheyenne, Wyoming. Bob and I shortly after decided that the cows would be sold and a farm market opened. I started to ride my bicycle back and forth from the house to the barn to wait on the customers. An adult riding a bicycle was so rare that many thought that I was the farmer’s daughter.

I, Marilyn, collected dolls. For many years during the harvest season, I displayed the dolls on our front porch for “Show and Tell.” Eventually, I had doll rooms (such as the Kindercare Sunday School Room) to share with many of the customers. The large farmhouse dates from the 1700s. ‘Miss Marilyn’ gave names to many of the rooms. We had an antique player piano that we would pump to make music while we wore ‘straw’ hats from the 1920s. I, Marilyn, was honored to be able to donate my antique player piano along with eighty player-piano music rolls to the Children’s Museum in 2010.

Guests knew and laughed about “Merry Thoughts” and “The Stairs to Nowhere.” I had a life-long deep soul affinity toward white birch trees. The markings on the trees were “not the eyes” that most people see, they were doves and gulls in flight. “I was a Reiki Master. I was AKA Mari-Deva.”

Funeral Services are under the direction of McHoul Funeral Home, Inc., 895 Route 82, Hopewell Junction. Calling hours will be from or 4-7pm on Friday, September 15, 2017. The Memorial Service will be conducted by The Reverend Christopher Boyd, the Chaplain from Hudson Valley Hospice, at the funeral home on Saturday at 10am.

“Miss Marilyn/Mari-Deva’s” final earthly resting place will be in the ‘W’ section at the Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery where there is a placement of memorial stones and benches that give honor to my husband Bob’s and my life and love for “Meadowbrook” as well as the lives of our parents and our daughter Marilyn Jean-Marie.

I want to thank and give praise to my caring dedicated Doctor Edward K. Schneider and his office staff for their compassionate concerns. I want to say thank you to Herbie and Florence Graff. They were the first local young couple that I met when I moved to Meadowbrook. Herbie has been phenomenal about sharing his computer expertise with me for years.

Feel free to honor “The Spirit of Marilyn” in your own personal way. Do something that inspires you and the universe in Marilyn’s memory. You might want to share what you decided to do with my family.

I have been so-o-o impressed and delighted with the daily health care and with the ‘Death’ Doula program at the ending of my experience with the overall Hudson Valley Hospice Programs…Hudson Valley Hospice has been absolutely above and beyond what anyone would be able to expect of any program anywhere. They were also successful (working with the Dutchess County SPCA) in relocating homes for this client’s three older cats. (Many thanks with great admiration ‘Miss Lisa’) Their address is Hudson Valley Hospice, 374 Violet Avenue, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603. Please remember this wonderful organization. I can only wish that I knew about them years ago. God bless each and every one of you.

Thoughts….I ‘Mari-Deva’ was always impressed with the following saying….I read the first paragraph and I added the other paragraphs:

I will climb this mountain. They have told me that it is too high, too far, too steep, too rocky and too difficult. It may be rocky and cold, but it is my mountain, I will climb it. You will soon see me waving from the top. I am a survivor. I fluctuate. There are days that I seemingly lay broken, limp and gasping on the shore of life, other days, I am as good as being on the mountain top. We must never forget who we are and we must give thanks for all aspects of our lives. We learn from all experiences good, and bad.

LIFE CAN HAND US AND BACKHAND US MANY UNEXPECTED TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS. WHEN CHALLENGED I MAY HAVE BEEN TEMPORARILY BLINDSIDED BUT I ALWAYS KNEW THAT I AM LIKE THE CREAM IN MILK, I WILL RISE TO THE TOP.

YES, I AM ON THAT MOUNTAIN TOP WAVING AND SMILING. I WILL ALSO BE PRACTICING WITH THE ‘SUBWAY GHOST’ FROM THE MOVIE “GHOST.” SEE YA!!! VAYA CON DIOS. MARI-DEVA…

AND THE DAY CAME WHEN THE RISK TO REMAIN TIGHT IN A BUD WAS MORE PAINFUL THAN THE RISK IT TOOK TO BLOSSOM. ANAIS NIN…..

NAMAST!! AN ANCIENT SANSKRIT GREETING TRANSLATED ROUGHLY, IT MEANS "I BOW TO THE GOD WITHIN ...