Marilyn Kay Kriener

Marilyn Kay Kriener (Larson) was born on November 30, 1945 to Harry and Helen Larson in Olympia, WA and she resided in the Olympia/Tumwater area for her entire life. She passed away peacefully in her home with her husband and daughter by her side on May 23, 2021 as a result of a short battle with Treatment-Related Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

Marilyn was an avid outdoor woman who loved to garden and had quite a green thumb. She enjoyed camping, boating and fishing, doing jigsaw puzzles, collecting all things giraffe, reading, watching game shows, enjoying a nice cold beer on their deck overlooking Puget Sound and spending time with her family- especially her two granddaughters who were the light of her life.

Marilyn graduated from Tumwater High School in 1964. She married William Kriener (known by most as Bill or Billy) in 1966. In 1980, after over a decade of hoping for a child, they were blessed with a daughter, Cecily who remained an only child due to her later in life arrival. Some may say Marilyn was a saint for having put up with Bill’s antics for over 55 years.

She worked in many clerical positions over the years, the longest being for the State of WA, she then semi-retired to work for herself cleaning houses where she became friends with many of her clients, most elderly. Marilyn retired once she became a grandmother, devoting her time to caring for her granddaughters, which was a huge help to her daughter and son-in-law.

Marilyn was preceded in death by her parents Harry and Helen, sister Shirley (Sally) Haider, brother Edward (Ed) Larson (co-incidentally on the same day 2 years prior to her), sister Diane Brooks, brother-in-law Dennis Brooks, brother Harvey (Harv) Larson, sister-in-law Patti Larson and nephew Steven Larson. She is survived by her husband Bill, daughter Cecily (Ryan Niemi), granddaughters Danika (14) and Rylee (11) Niemi, a brother John Larson, and many beloved nieces, nephews and grand-nieces and grand-nephews, other relatives, neighbors and friends.

Marilyn fought and survived breast cancer in 2018/19, but in February of 2021 she developed Leukemia as a result of damage done to her cells by the prior chemotherapy she received. The cancer was aggressive, and despite a good fight, her body ultimately could not overcome. We are saddened by this sudden loss but feel blessed that her suffering was not long.

Her death leaves a huge hole in our hearts and in our family. We plan to hold a celebration of her life at their Olympia home later in the summer.

Donations can be made in her honor to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society online at: https://donate.lls.org/lls/donate or by mail at: https://llscorp.stg.lls.org/sites/default/files/2021-04/Donatebymailform.pdf Please also consider donating blood in her honor, as she received a large amount of donated blood via transfusions during her hospital stays.

“I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength. I stand and watch her until at length she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other. Then someone at my side says: “There, she is gone!” “Gone where?” Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my side and she is just as able to bear the load of living freight to her destined port. Her diminished size is in me, not in her. And just at the moment when someone at my side says: “There, she is gone!” there are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices ready to take up the glad shout: “here she comes!” and that is dying.

-Henry Van Dyke