Marilyn Kay Ihnen

Marilyn Kay (Rene') Ihnen, beloved Wife, Sister, Mom, and Grandmother, passed away on Sunday, January 26, 2025, at her home. She was surrounded by her children and devoted husband when the angels came to take her home.

Marilyn was born in 1943 in Idaho. She spent her childhood in Twin Falls, Idaho, and attended college in Pocatello, Idaho, to become a physical education teacher. Marilyn loved participating in various sports, including golf, tennis, bowling, softball, and cross-country skiing.

After living in Pocatello, she began working as a Customer Service Manager for Buttrey Food and Drug. Marilyn moved to Washington state to help open several Buttrey stores and train employees in customer service. At Buttrey Foods, she met the love of her life, Byron Ihnen. They were married at Holy Family Catholic Church in 1972. They stayed in the Yakima Valley to raise their family after purchasing the orchard that would become Red Roz Ranch.

Managing the orchard's bookkeeping from home allowed Marilyn to focus on raising her children, which she cherished above all else. As a stay-at-home mom, she actively participated in their various activities and athletics; she worked at swim meets, coached soccer, volunteered at the junior high school, and supported her children in every way possible. She disliked the term "housewife," often saying, "I'm not married to my house." Lovingly nicknamed "Grams," her grandchildren quickly became the apples of her eye.

Her favorite activities included decorating for every holiday, gardening, canning and dehydrating various fruits, tending to her beautiful yard, making and delivering Christmas cookie baskets, gathering with her Pinnacle group of lifelong friends, and traveling with her husband.

Marilyn was active in the Catholic church, no matter where she lived. She loved participating in the women's bible study group, volunteering for weekly readings, serving on the altar during mass, and teaching catechism classes. She also volunteered to bring communion to those unable to attend mass due to health and mobility issues. Faith was an essential part of her life; each morning, she could be found sitting at the kitchen table, drinking coffee or mocha cappuccino, praying the rosary for her family.

Marilyn is preceded in death by her parents, Harold and Ann Rene’, a brother, Gary Rene’, and a sister, Sharon Perkins, all of Twin Falls, Idaho. She is survived by her husband, Byron; her children, Jodi, Justin (JJ), Terrance, and Tanya; their spouses, Steve, Heidi, and Robb; and her grandchildren, Josh, Cassie, Chelsey, Eric, Jessica, Parker, and Sydney. She will be dearly missed.

Memorial services will be held at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Selah, Washington, on March 28, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. The family's love and support and her devoted home health assistant- Donelle Deleon, were instrumental in her care. The family requests that anyone wishing to make a donation consider the Alzheimer's Association.