Marilyn Irene Hudson

Marilyn was born on June 11, 1932 in WaKeeney, Kansas, a small town located halfway between Wichita and Denver. She was one of five children of Wilfred and Mary Dietz. After graduating high school in WaKeeney, Marilyn worked for two years in retail before deciding to attend Kansas State University. She liked to tell people that her tuition for a semester was only $150. She graduated with an accounting degree from Kansas State in the early 1950s and was working in the accounting department for Standard Oil and Gas in Casper, Wyoming when she met her future husband, Jim Lee Hudson of Perryton, Texas, who had been invited over to repair a broken door knob at her apartment.

Marilyn and Jim Hudson were married in 1956 in WaKeeney, Kansas. They soon had two boys, Russell (born June 4, 1957) and Cary (born July 24, 1958). Due to the occupation of her husband, a geophysicist involved in the search for oil at Standard Oil, they first moved briefly to New Orleans, and then abroad to Tehran in Iran for four years. In 1963 the family moved again to the Netherlands to allow Jim to continue his career looking for oil in the North Sea. Then, in 1966, came another transfer to Calgary, Alberta and a new company for Jim, Mesa Petroleum. While in Calgary, a third son came into the family: Thomas, born February 19, 1968. In 1979 the last transfer came to Oklahoma City, where Marilyn remained for the rest of her life. During her two decades of living abroad, Marilyn was a devoted homemaker and mother who tirelessly combined running her household for her family with planning annual vacations to the Canadian Rockies and other fun activities. She also enjoyed a lively social life that revolved around one of her main passions, the card game of bridge.

Marilyn’s husband Jim semi-retired in 1980, and they spent the next fifteen years enjoying a more relaxed life, including travel to places such as Italy and Alaska. Jim passed away in September 1995, and Marilyn spend her widowed years keeping as busy as ever: reading from her large library (including every one of John Grisham’s books); playing bridge; golfing; and staying very active in her church as a volunteer (including starting a charity quilting club and even keeping the books at times). She also loved to collect and had impressive groups of glass paperweights, antique dishware, and paintings. Marilyn also had a unique assortment of artifacts and antiques from her travels, including treasured Persian rugs from Iran. In her last decades Marilyn travelled the world, from China to South Africa to Europe. She also spent a lot of time following her beloved Kansas State football and basketball teams, and in recent years was a devoted fan of the TV show Friends. Marilyn had a great sense of humor and many loving friends; she will be sorely missed by her family and social circle.

Marilyn is survived by her sibling Rose Doxon, two of her sons, Russell and Thomas (Cary passed away in 2020), and her grandchildren Elise Nicole Hunsick, Kendall Hudson, Brady Hudson, Kyle Hudson, Lana Hudson, Foster Hudson.

A memorial service will be held on September 6, 2025 at 10am at St Paul's Lutheran Church, 10600 N Council Rd, Oklahoma City, OK 73162.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 10600 N. Council Rd, Oklahoma City, OK 73162: https://stpaulsokc.com/online-giving