Marilyn M. Ast

It is with heavy hearts that we say goodbye to Marilyn Ast. The Lord called her home on December 9th, 2015. She was just 66 years old. We will miss her terribly but are thankful for an end to her suffering.

Marilyn was born in Dickinson, North Dakota on March 25, 1949 – the sixth of Edward and Gwendolyn Schwehr’s 18 children. She was raised on a farm in Belfield, North Dakota; then moved with her family to a ranch in Selfridge, North Dakota before finally settling on a ranch outside of McIntosh, South Dakota – a small town right on the border of North and South Dakota. Marilyn preferred being outside, she would rather help her father out in the fields instead of staying inside doing housework.

In 1968 Marilyn met Tom when he was up in North Dakota on a hunting trip. He remembers her long dark hair hanging in two braids. And those dimples! He was smitten. Two years later they were married in South Dakota and started a family in Emporia, Kansas.

Tom and Marilyn had three children: Rachel (1971), Philip (1972) and Aaron (1974). In 1978 they moved to Aurora, Colorado. Marilyn finished her schooling at University of Colorado, Denver and got her CPA to work with corporate taxes. In 1992 they moved to Conifer, Colorado where they lived on a mountain. In 2013 they moved once more to Loveland, Colorado.

Marilyn enjoyed spending time with her family and friends: hiking, boating, skiing, playing racquetball and traveling. During the years when her children lived at home, the family took several camping trips and road trips all around the United States. Upon retiring she, Tom and friends traveled many places in the United States including the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, South Carolina, California, Florida and Hawaii. They also took several international trips including: the Bahamas, Mexico, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, France, Belgium, Switzerland and Ireland. She doted on her eight grandchildren and was in the process of drawing their portraits. She also enjoyed volunteering.

Marilyn was a devout Catholic and developed a special connection to the Virgin Mary. She went on several retreats dedicated to Our Blessed Mother in the latter years of her life.

In 2009 Marilyn was first diagnosed with breast cancer. After a lumpectomy, chemotherapy and radiation she went into remission and enjoyed an active, full life. However, in the spring of 2015, a relapse showed that her cancer had turned metastatic. She fought it valiantly for seven months, but finally succumbed on December 9th, 2015.

She is survived by her husband, Tom; daughter, Rachel Dobbins, her husband Lance and children Bailey and Taylor (Seattle, Washington); son, Philip Ast, his wife Tricia and children Nathan, Joseph and Keilar (Denver, Colorado); and son, Aaron Ast, his wife Kate and children Sage, Rowan and Anjali (Ft. Collins, Colorado). She also is survived by nine brothers and seven sisters, loving in-laws, nieces, nephews and countless friends. She is preceded in death by father and mother Edward & Gwendolyn Schwehr, sister Jeanette, father-in-law Harold Ast and brother-in-law John Ast.

A Rosary will be held at 7pm on Thursday, December 17, 2015 at Allnutt Funeral Service in Loveland. Memorial Services are at 11:00am Friday, December 18, 2015 at Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church in Windsor. Inurnment to follow at Resthaven Memory Gardens in Fort Collins followed by a reception at the Associated Veterans of Loveland. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in the memory of Marilyn Ast be made to one of the following charities: Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church, American Legion Post 15, Honor Flights, Hospice, or the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Go to www.allnutt.com to sign the guestbook and send condolences.