Marilyn Broderick Dillard

Born in Los Angeles, California, on August 26, 1933, Marilyn was the youngest daughter of Lola (Miles) and James Broderick and granddaughter of Mary (Touhy) and Martin Broderick and Lucy (Thistlewaite) and Charles Miles. Marilyn grew up in a loving family with her older sister Mary Patricia. She had very fond memories of regular Sunday dinners with Grandparents and Aunts. She credits her love of music to her grandfather Charles, who played the violin and her aunt Lenore who played the piano. The family gatherings always included music and singing. A true California girl, she loved swimming, going to the beach, playing tennis, sledding in the nearby mountains, and taking long walks with her family in the evenings after dinner.

Marilyn graduated from Saint Monica’s High School and received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Education from the University of California, Los Angeles. It was in the summer of 1950 that she met a young navy sailor, Gary Dillard, stationed in San Diego. They went on to attend UCLA together and were married in December of 1954. She taught elementary school until the birth of her first child and although her professional career was brief, she used her skills as an educator her entire life to raise their six children and volunteer as a Reading Aide in the local elementary schools.

Marilyn became an expert at managing a large family and setting up household as the family moved multiple times to support Gary’s career at Shell Oil. She had many interests and joined clubs that centered around gardening, sewing, quilting, and investments. She spent countless hours volunteering and supporting her children’s activities including swimming, football, track, drill team and scouting. She was proud of her Irish heritage and developed a love for the music of Phil Coulter. She will be remembered for her unflappable memory, bright blue eyes, warm smile and devout spirituality.

Gary and Marilyn were married nearly sixty-five years and one of their primary interests early in life was to travel and to meet people from all over the world. They visited ninety-one countries together. They also traveled frequently to visit their children and grandchildren who lived in different parts of the country. Their last trip together was to Los Angeles, California where she and Gary visited the UCLA campus they had attended, the Ronald Reagan Library, and many of the places they lived as a young couple. Two of Marilyn’s last trips included a return to Los Angeles with her five daughters where she was able to dip her toes in the Pacific Ocean and a trip to Chicago, her father’s birthplace, for the wedding of her granddaughter.

She is survived by daughter Mary Catherine Hotze (Mark) of Houston, TX, daughter Lynne Anne Montgomery (John) of Chicago, IL, son Robert Gregary Dillard of Houston, TX, daughter Carolyn Jean McKeefer (Jay) of Carrollton, TX, daughter Jamie Ann Baxley (Ken) of Georgetown, FL, and daughter Laurie Diane Polser (David) of Liberty Hill, TX. She will be lovingly remembered by her fourteen grandchildren: Matthew (Elise), Luke (Megan) and Gary Hotze, Marilyn (Brian O’Connell), Johnny and Jennifer Montgomery, Katie (Matt Clark), Robert and Kellie Dillard, Ian McKeefer (Adri), Josh (Chelsae) Baxley, Sam (Haylee), Haley and Joe Polser, thirteen great grandchildren with a 14th arriving shortly, her sister-in-law Sharon Kay Soergel (Robert), brother-in-law Frank Jeffrey Dillard (Nannette), and sister-in law Dorie Dillard. Marilyn is predeceased by her husband, Gary, her parents and her sister, Mary Broderick (Hill) and brother-in-law, Milton Hill.

A Catholic mass and celebration of Marilyn’s life will take place on October 21st at 10:30 a.m. at St. John Vianney Catholic Church, 625 Nottingham Oaks Trail, Houston, TX. A reception will be held at 3:00 p.m. at The Buckingham Senior Living Center, 8580 Woodway Drive in Houston, TX.

Marilyn’s wishes were for donations to be made in her memory to Wounded Warriors https://support.woundedwarriorproject.org or Catholic Charities. https://catholiccharities.org

Please visit www.forestparkwestheimer.com to sign the book.