Marilyn Rose Diebold

Marilyn Rose Diebold, born March 14, 1942, passed peacefully on December 26, 2023, surrounded by love and family at the age of eighty-one in Birmingham, Alabama. She leaves behind a legacy of service, faith, and joy.

Marilyn was the beloved daughter of Ray and Anne Hall and the sister of Ray Hall Jr., JoAnn Bayless, Janet Sealock, Robert Hall, and Michael Hall. She attended Cuba High School and earned her nursing certificate from St. John’s Hospital. She also earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in nursing from St. Louis University.

In 1965, Marilyn entered a loving marriage with Joseph Francis Carron. From that union Marilyn was blessed with five daughters: Cynthia Anne Stangl, Stephanie Anne Denton, Christine Anne Carron, Mary Anne Carron, and Elizabeth Anne Turman.

Later in life, Marilyn found love again with Francis Henry Diebold Jr. Their 33-year marriage brought Marilyn not only companionship, love, and support but also extended her family with the addition of Frank’s three children: Frank Henry Diebold III, Kathleen Lynn Hargrave, and Scott Raymond Diebold.

Marilyn’s nursing career, which started in 1963, was marked by kindness and excellence. She became a certified rehabilitation nurse and worked in brain injury and burn units, as well as in research. She received thanks and accolades from her patients and their families for the loving care that she gave each and every day. She also served in the Naval Reserves and in Desert Storm, where she helped set up the largest naval hospital at the time in Bahrain.

Outside her professional life, Marilyn was a devout Catholic, volunteered extensively with the USO, supported numerous charities, and was a beloved daughter, mother, grandmother, mother-in-law, stepmother, step grandmother, sister, aunt, niece, and friend.

Marilyn is survived by her husband, Frank; her daughters, Cynthia, Stephanie, Christine, and Elizabeth; her sons-in-laws, Jamie and Jerimy; her grandchildren, Nicholas, Matthew, Andrew, Will, Ben, Nora, Dominic, and Tiera; her stepchildren, Frank, Kathy, and Scott; her step son-in-law, Michael; her step grandchildren, Aubrey, Frank, Shane, and Erika; and her step great grandchildren, Bailey, Kamden, Kaison, Isabella, Michael, Justin, Aaliyah, and Hannah; as well as her loving siblings, Bob, JoAnn, Janet, and Mike; her dearly beloved Aunt Mary; and many other extended family and friends. Marilyn was preceded in death by her parents, her first husband, her daughter Mary Anne, her grandchildren Luke and Olivia, and her son-in-law Michael.

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small family memorial service will be held in Missouri to be announced in the spring. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in her name to any of the charities that held a special place in Marilyn’s heart and that she actively supported, including the United Service Organizations (USO); Alabama Game Changers (a nonprofit for children with dyslexia cofounded by her daughter); St. Raphael’s Catholic Church in St. Louis Missouri; and/or the National Shrine of Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.

Marilyn's unshakeable faith, absolute love, boundless kindness, and beautiful smile will be deeply missed by all who had the privilege of knowing her.