Marilyn Sue Vale

Marilyn Vale, 89, passed away peacefully at home on January 15, 2025 with her family at her side. Crawford-Bowers Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. A visitation will be held Thursday, January 23, 2025 at 6pm with a memorial service immediately following at 7pm at the funeral home chapel 1615 S. Fort Hood St in Killeen. A private family interment will take place at the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery at a later date.

She was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the youngest of five children, and where she met and married Eddie Vale. She had lived in the Killeen area since 1964 when the family business, Furniture Factory Outlet also known as FFO, was established.

After retirement from their furniture business Marilyn became an avid and devoted quilter. She took numerous classes, advancing and mastering the art of quilting. Her natural abilities in math and business easily translated to the quilting world. Her creative side was ignited to create beautiful, intricate and bold color combinations. She preferred to take the extra effort and time to hand stitch versus machine quilting. Besides quilting, her passions included her many pets over the years, reading, trips to Las Vegas, and sports, particularly baseball. She was a big Texas Rangers fan.

Marilyn and Eddie were committed to giving back to the Killeen and surrounding communities in many ways, to include little league baseball, schools, Ft Hood soldiers and their families, the new (1981) Metroplex Hospital (now Advent Health), the C. R. Clements Boys Club, their church and many other worthy causes and organizations. The family legacies of the hometown furniture store and giving back to the community that they started 60 years ago continue today through the second and third family generations.

Marilyn was predeceased by her parents, husband of 51 years, Edwin “Eddie” Vale (Sr), her older two sisters and two brothers, son-in-law Peter Nash, and great grand-daughter, Lizzie Tennyson.

She is survived by children SuDonna Nash Cilliers (Len), Sandra Skinner (Ronnie), Teresa Carter (Steve), Eddie Vale, Jr (Susie), Donny Vale; and 15 grandchildren and 22 great grandchildren, and her little dog, Tinkerbell.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be sent to Big Love Cancer Care assistance for childhood cancer patients at www.biglovecancercare.org in honor of Marilyn’s great grand-daughter, Lizzie Tennyson; or to the Killeen Food Care Center at www.foodcare.org