Marilyn was a wonderfully kind and loving person. Everyone who knew her discovered her friendly, positive nature, and her ability to find the good in others. She was slight of build, but strong of character! She could be counted on to show up every day and give the best she had, with a positive outlook and a welcoming, considerate demeanor. She was a faithful, supportive spouse and a wonderful mother, and will be greatly missed.
Marilyn was born November 2, 1938 in Ft. Worth Texas, the daughter of Hershel Weldon Anderson and Eleanor Connelley Anderson, and grew up in Dallas. Marilyn was a few minutes younger than her twin sister, Patricia Ann Miller, and together, the two of them were older sisters to a younger sister (Karen Clements) and brother (Michael Anderson).
Marilyn attended grade school at Christ the King in University Park, middle school at Ursuline Academy, and graduated Highland Park High School in 1956. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, graduating in 1960 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.
While at UT Austin, Marilyn studied Art, worked at the University Coop on Guadalupe in Austin, and was active in the Newman Club, a Catholic student organization, and there she met her eventual husband, Robert L. Lytton. Marilyn and Bob were married on September 9, 1961 and began what was to become a beautiful 61-year loving journey together. Bob was in the Corps of Engineers ROTC at UT Austin, and was commissioned into the US Army following graduation.
After an initial assignment at Ft. Leonard Wood in Leesville, LA, Bob and Marilyn moved to Ft. Hood, near Killeen TX, where a daughter, Lynn, was born. After Bob completed his obligation to the Army, the family moved to Houston, where Bob was working for J.B. Dannenbaum Consulting Engineers. While they lived in Houston, Marilyn gave birth to a son, Rob. Bob and Marilyn (and Lynn and Rob) then spent a couple of years in Austin as Bob completed a PhD in civil engineering. The whole family then moved to Melbourne, Australia while Bob was on a post-doctoral fellowship from the National Science Foundation for a 2-year assignment with Australian governmental infrastructure agency, CSIRO. While in Melbourne, the family welcomed Marilyn and Bob’s youngest child, John Kirby. At the end of the 2 year stay, Bob received an offer to join the faculty at Texas A&M University. The family moved to Bryan in 1971, where Marilyn made her family’s home and lived the rest of her life, quietly making a wonderful impact on all around her.
Marilyn was a beautiful human being. She was a woman, a wife, a mother, a sister, a daughter, a sister-in-law, an aunt. She loved her family, and brought her special brand of optimism and kindness to brighten the lives of everyone she encountered. She was an artist, she was a loving teacher of life skills and character, she was a planner and manager of activities for her family, she was a den mother for Cub Scouts, she was an active member of her church, and she was very involved in supporting the interests and activities of her children. She enthusiastically attended countless concerts, plays, games etc. where her children (and eventually grandchildren) were performing.
She loved birds, and enjoyed the epic conflict between her supposedly “squirrel proofed” birdfeeders, and the persistent squirrels who “hoovered” up the birdseed intended for the cardinals and blue jays. She worked briefly as a librarian at Bryan High School. She was known to occasionally use some colorful language when frustrated – strong words like “fiddlesticks”, “phooey” or “rats”. She loved people, and was so very interested in who they were and what was special about them. If you encountered her, she had a wonderful way of letting you know how she saw what was special and good about you.
Marilyn is survived by her husband of 61 years, Dr. Robert L. Lytton; a daughter, Lynn Lytton; a son, Rob Lytton; a grandson, David Lytton (and spouse Alexa); and a granddaughter, Elizabeth Lytton. She is also survived by her sister, Karen Clements; nieces, Christa Clements, Kelley Clements (and spouse Rhonda), as well as nephew Jason Clements (and spouse Alison, and children Kevin and Oliver). Also, she is survived by her brother, Michael Anderson (and spouse Martha); along with nephew Greg Miller (and spouse Mary, children Rachel and Rebecca) and sister and brother-in-law, Noeli Lytton and Jim Moll; nephew, Zack Wotawa and niece Gwen Wotawa.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Hershel Weldon Anderson and Eleanor Connelley Anderson; her son, John Kirby Lytton, and twin sister, Patricia Ann Miller.
She is also survived by her legacy of love and kindness, and the model of her gentle and happy life.
Memorials may be made to the Brazos Valley Center for Independent Living (www.bvcil.org), to help them continue Marilyn’s legacy of conscientious kindness.
There will be a visitation from 5:00 to 8:00 pm on Monday, December 19, 2022 with a Rosary at 6:00 pm at Memorial Funeral Chapel College Station, 2901 Texas Avenue South, College Station, Texas 77845.
Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church (2541 Earl Rudder Fwy, College Station, TX 77845) on Tuesday December 20, 2022 at 10:00 am.
The interment service will be at Holy Cross Cemetery, 17501 Nacogdoches Rd, in San Antonio TX, at 2:00 pm, on Wednesday, December 21, 2022.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.memorialfuneralchapel.com for the Lytton family.
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