Marilyn was born in Peterboro, NY on June 14, 1933 to William Briggs and Vernice (Marris) Briggs. She was raised in Waterville, NY and graduated from Waterville High School in 1951. She graduated from Faxton Nursing School in Utica in 1954, and worked as a nurse in the infirmary at Hamilton College in Clinton, NY from 1954-1957. While in Clinton she met her future husband Bill and they were married on July 14, 1956.
They lived in Westchester County, NY; Pennsylvania; Buffalo, and East Aurora, NY; St. Louis, MO; and Wilton, CT before moving to Dunwoody in 1975, during Bill's career with the Nestle Co.
She and Bill served faithfully on the Board of Ushers at Alpharetta First Methodist Church for 25 years. She enjoyed reading, gardening, and traveling with Bill and their friends. Marilyn was always ready to help anyone in need throughout her life, and she never met a stranger.
So many people considered her “Mom,” and did their best to emulate her strong character, compassion, and caring ways.
Her beautiful smile and radiant blue eyes will be missed, but forever remembered, by everyone who knew her.
She is survived by her husband of 69 years, William “Bill” Fivaz; daughter, Diane Suzan Wichman and her husband John; two grandchildren, Erin and Jake; 2 great-grandchildren, Ella and Jaxson, and her daughter-in-law, Jeanne Fivaz. Their late son William Robert welcomed her with outstretched arms, where they will share eternity forever.
A funeral will be held at H.M. Patterson and Son- Arlington Chapel, 173 Allen Rd. NE, Sandy Springs, GA 30328, on Monday, June 2, 2025 at 1 o’clock followed by a reception and then burial at Arlington Memorial Park.
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to Longleaf Hospice of Covington, GA (https://longleafhospice.com/), or the National Kidney Foundation (https://www.kidney.org/) in her memory.
