Marilyn Eve Ferraro

Marilyn Eve London came into this world on September 11, 1928. She was born in New York City and grew up in the Bronx. Her paternal grandparents were German-Jews and her maternal grandparents immigrated from Austria in the early 1900's. She had very fond memories of her childhood. She grew up living in a two family house with her parents and sisters in one house, and her aunt, uncle, and five cousins in the other. Later her grandparents moved in with them as well. She was surrounded by a big, loving family who were very close. She was a beautiful woman with striking blue eyes and wavy dark hair when she was young. People always commented on her eyes and hair. Her beauty continued all her life, as her hair went from dark, to blonde, to grey. Even when she got older, she never looked or acted her age. She married in the 1950's and had two daughters, Linda and Donna, eleven years apart. Though her first marriage ended in 1970, she later married Joseph Ferraro and had thirteen happy years with him. They lived in Mamaroneck, New York, then moved to Florida in 1985. Through her husband Joe, she became a step mom to Josette and Susan who have been a wonderful part of our family ever since.

Marilyn worked in many places over the years. She had fond memories of working as a bank teller on the ground floor of the Empire State Building and as a cashier in a gift shop one summer in a singles resort in the Pokonos. She worked for an insurance company in New York for many years. In Florida she worked many temp jobs which included a receptionist/secretary to the chief of police in Largo, Florida. She also worked for the American Cancer Society , and her last job was receptionist for the Florida State Health Department where she worked until she was 83 years old.

Marilyn has left a tremendous legacy when it comes to her faith. She shared the gospel of Jesus Christ with many people. She attended St. Matthews Catholic Church, and had a very close, intimate relationship with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. She loved reading her Bible and going to Bible studies while encouraging others to join her. She had a wonderful prison ministry in which she counseled one on one with inmates, prayed with them, and gave them Bibles. As a matter of fact, her nickname in the prison was "the Bible lady." She continued this ministry for about fifteen years up until she got sick this past January. She also ministered to people in so many other ways such as working with the pro-life ministries and St. Vincent De Paul. She had a great love for the Lord and lived her life as an inspiration to others.

Marilyn was filled with love for her family. She was so proud of every one, and she would say over and over again how very blessed she was. She never missed an event. She was always there, celebrating every family milestone with pride and joy. She adored her grandchildren, Jessica, Cory, Cory's wife, Keeley, Johnny, Joey, and Stephen, and her one great-grandchild, Caiden. She loved life so much. Her family has many wonderful memories of the places they've been together. She was always ready to live life to the fullest and experience new adventures, and there are crazy, fun times, stories and memories made throughout the years that could fill volumes of books!

Marilyn went through hard times in her life but has been a great inspiration to so many with her strength of character, unfailing faith, and perseverance. She was an overcomer. Even though she was in her 80s, her family never thought of her as old. She was so full of vivacity, laughter, love, and life. She had a very generous, giving, and compassionate heart. She will be greatly missed and leave a gaping hole in our hearts, but we are so thrilled that her suffering on this earth is over and because she accepted Jesus as her Savior, and loved Him wholeheartedly, she is with Him now, doing her little dance on streets of gold in Heaven. There is no more pain, tears, or death where she is. She would want everyone to know the way to get there is through Jesus Christ, the love of her life.

She loved the verse, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16. Her other favorite verses were: "I am continually with You; You have taken hold of my right hand. With Your counsel You will guide me and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. As for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all Your works." Psalm 73:23-26,28. "Do nothing from selfish ambition or vain conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves. Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason, also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Philippians 2:3-11 and "Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things." Philippians 4:4-8

Marilyn will be remembered warmly for her spunk, vivacity, love for life, faith, forgiving spirit, loving heart, and wholehearted devotion and dedication to her family and God. Those of us that knew her well consider themselves privileged and blessed. We thank God that Heaven is promised to those who embrace Jesus' gift of salvation through His shed blood and life sacrifice on our behalf. We also cannot wait until we are reunited with Marilyn in our true home. Now she beholds the beautiful face of Jesus. This life is fleeting, and we all must leave this world. May we continue the legacy of faith and love that Marilyn has so wonderfully exemplified and left behind. May we live wholeheartedly for the Lord until that day when we are called home. Our lives have been abundantly enriched by Marilyn Ferraro, and the world was a better place because she was here.

If Marilyn were here now she would tell everyone to be happy, serve Jesus, share their faith, love their family, never hold a grudge and when times get tough, "offer it up as a sacrifice to the Lord".

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to:

Pinellas County Jail

Chaplain's Office

14400 49th St. N.

Clearwater, Fl 33762

This would be to honor Marilyn’s prison ministry that she so loved and will supply Bibles for the inmates.