Marilynn D. Castana

Marilynn Doyle Castana, 87 of Sandy Springs, GA, passed away peacefully in her home on Monday, September 18, 2023. Marilynn, a beloved wife, mother, grandmother and aunt was born on March 20,1936 in New York City to the late Walter Doyle and Agnes Reid Doyle.

Marilynn grew up in Inwood, NY, located on the northern tip of Manhattan. She spent her summers in Denville, NJ, on Tabor Lake where she loved to boat, swim, play in nature and tan at her family’s cabin.

She attended Good Shepherd Catholic grammar school and graduated in 1953 from The Academy of the Sacred Heart of Mary High School in Inwood. After graduation, she attended Berkley secretarial school and then became the Executive Secretary to the VP of Karastan Carpets in NYC for over a decade.

Marilynn loved living in NYC. From Broadway shows and dining, to shopping and riding the subway, she loved experiencing all the city had to offer. She was a classic and true NYC gal. NYC is also where she met the love of her life, Joseph Castana. The two married on July 29, 1961 at Good Shepard Catholic Church in Inwood, NY.

Marilynn and Joe spent time living in Bayside, Queens where weekends were filled with sailing on the Long Island Sound with friends and family. They then spent the happiest 16 years of their lives from 1970-1986 in Smoke Rise, a private community in Kinnelon, NJ, with their two daughters, Christine and Cathy. Marilynn and Joe had a very active social life there filled with so many fun times and great friends and created memories that lasted a lifetime. In 1986, a job transfer relocated the couple to Atlanta, GA.

Marilynn had a deep faith and cherished her Catholic beliefs. She was always ready to say a Novena for anyone in need and prayed the rosary daily. She was a homemaker who thrived on giving back to her community. She loved fundraising and planning events for her parish, Our Lady of the Magnificat in Kinnelon as well as volunteering and attending her children’s school functions there. After relocating to Atlanta, Marilynn volunteered for 30 years at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Sandy Springs where she was a family greeter in the critical care unit.

As Marilynn’s memory declined during the last few years of her life, she could easily recall countless details of her two most cherished times: growing up in NYC and living life to the fullest with her friends and family in Kinnelon.

Marilynn will be remembered as a loving wife, mother, grandmother and aunt who loved shopping, crossword puzzles, gardening, sitting by the pool, drinking cocktails with friends, volunteering, attending church, reading romance and mystery novels, getting red manicures, and spending time with her children and grandchildren. She will be remembered as stylish and classy; always dressed to the nines with a passion for fashion.

Marilynn was predeceased by her sister, Nancy Doyle Freehill, and survived by her husband, Joseph Castana, two daughters, Christine Santoro (James) and Cathy Roseberry (Todd), four grandchildren, Gianna and Kelly Santoro and JD and Reid Roseberry and numerous nieces and nephews.

A celebration of Life Mass will be held at St Jude the Apostle Catholic Church in Sandy Springs, on Tuesday, November 7, 2023 at 10:00 am.