Marla Bishop

She was born in Manhattan, New York and came to the area 22 years ago from California.  After leaving New York, she settled in Los Angeles for 37 years where she met and married the great love of her life and started a family.  Marla worked as a business owner and office manager in the entertainment industry for many years while raising her kids; being their nurse, tutor, chef, cheerleader, playmate, band-booster, counselor, events coordinator, role-model, magic-maker, and all-around mom extraordinaire. 

From an early age, Marla had a deep affinity for people and animals alike which shaped much of her life.  She spent her summers as a child working a family farm in Pennsylvania - learning to milk cows and tend to the animals.  There, she went on to assist the country doctor as one of her first jobs, discovering her love for nursing.  As a teenager, her cousins, friends, and she rode horses every week in Pelham Bay, NY, where Marla developed a bond with the Buckskin she took care of and rode.  Her soft spot for animals (and people) also meant she was forever finding and bringing home strays, mostly 4-legged ones, but a good number of 2-legged ones as well.  

As the oldest of 3, she was often tasked with caring for her younger siblings and cousins-never a chore for the natural caregiver and nurturer that she was.  For them, she set the example of living fully, boldly, and without the weight of expectations as she bucked social norms and skated her way to a contract offer to join a professional roller derby team, the Bronx Bombers, as a blocker when she was just 16.  As a young woman, she helped to support her parents and siblings, all while refusing the pressure to marry and start a family at a young age. Instead, she broke a few hearts and moved out west on a new adventure.  Never one to settle, she held out for “the best” and found him in the only man who could match her step.  Together, they were joy in motion.  

Marla’s loving nature and easy charm helped her make life-long friends like family wherever she went; whether they be from the stoops of her Bronx stomping grounds, suburban mommy-and-me classes, or driving school buses for Hernando County.  Like her beautiful home that she dressed so proudly at Christmas, she delighted in her friendships for the sparkling lights and gleaming treasures they were.  And much like her home, her heart was always open to all who needed her without asking anything in return.

Marla was also the best kind of gambler.  She was a huge casino aficionado with a passion for any chance to win. She loved her lottery scratchers, VFW “Show Me The Money” nights, Bingo, slot machines, Mah Jongg, and all kinds of card games, especially Poker.  Never one to turn down an invitation to play in a tournament or host a “friendly” game at home, she didn’t mind an honest loss.  The fun of it all for her was found in the playing and not necessarily the win - though, she did more than her fair share of winning.  Ever humble, she would always claim her good fortune was “pure luck,” but all who knew her, knew better.  Perhaps her most memorable quality was her gift for positivity rooted in her unshakable faith in the goodness of humanity and infinite empathy for others with which she navigated life.  She dealt with every challenge life threw at her with the same grace, skill, and optimism as she did a new turn of the cards- always finding the best that could be made of her hand.  

Marla was predeceased by her husband of 45 years, Eugene Bishop. She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law: Eugene II and Jamie Bishop; daughter and son-in-law: Shannon Bishop and James Whitaker; sister and brother-in-law: Judy and Carl Svensson; one grandchild: Jaislyn Bishop; and 4 grandcats: Thomas, Bagheera, Ollie, and Patrick Bishop.

A Celebration of her Life is tentatively scheduled for Sunday, January 15, 2023.  More details to follow.  

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you consider a donation to one of Marla’s favorite charities listed below:

St. Jude’s (www.stjude.org), American Cancer Society (donate3.cancer.org), American Lung Association (action.lung.org), Disabled American Veterans (www.dav.org), The Humane Society of the Nature Coast (humanerescue.org), First Ladies Farm and Sanctuary (firstladiesfarm.com), ASPCA (aspca.org).

ARRANGEMENTS BY

MERRITT FUNERAL HOME

SPRING HILL, FLORIDA

(352) 686-6649

"Family Owned and Operated"

www.merrittfuneral.com