Marilyn Yvonne Kelley

Marilyn Yvonne Kelley, 77, of Acworth, Georgia, passed away on June 2nd, 2026. She leaves behind a family who loved her deeply and a lifetime of stories that will continue to be told for years to come.

Marilyn was born on February 12, 1949, in North Platte, Nebraska, the daughter of the late Homer and Clara Favinger. She loved reminiscing about her early days like working in the school cafeteria to earn her lunch and remembering when a nickel could buy both candy and a movie ticket.

Over the years, Marilyn worked many jobs, including waitressing, banking, and eventually serving as a Training Coordinator for Publix before retiring.

Marilyn enjoyed the simple things. She loved bowling and spent years on a league. Family camping trips often included spirited games of Yahtzee. She watched the Food Network with an enthusiasm that sometimes exceeded her interest in actually doing the cooking. She enjoyed shopping perhaps a little more than she should have, but if you were lucky enough to be on the receiving end of one of her gifts, you certainly benefited from that hobby.

Marilyn was not the most outwardly affectionate person, but her love was never in question. She showed it through her generosity, gifts, helping others when they needed it, and the steady presence she provided to the people she cared about. Holidays were her favorite. She loved celebrating, decorating, shopping, and finding ways to make the season special for those around her.

Much of Marilyn's adult life was marked by chronic back pain. After years of searching for relief, she finally found it, though it came with significant challenges to her mobility. In her later years, she faced even greater obstacles, including heart disease, dialysis, and multiple myeloma. Though those final years were difficult, they never erased the strength and determination that defined her.

Marilyn was preceded in death by her parents, her brother Larry Favinger, her sister Mildred Gurkin, and two beloved dogs, Beethoven and Belle. We like to think they were waiting to welcome her home.

She leaves behind her husband, Danny; her children, Timothy Torske, Tina Cano, and Kristen Howard; her stepdaughter, Dawn Bereznak; her sisters Loretta, Janice, and Joy; many grandchildren and great-grandchildren; and countless friends and loved ones whose lives were made better by knowing her.

Marilyn will be remembered for her generosity, her resilience, her love of holidays, her enthusiasm for shopping, her competitive streak at Yahtzee, and her unwavering loyalty to Coca-Cola. Her family takes comfort in imagining her free from pain, reunited with those she loved, and finally enjoying a perfect holiday celebration where the drinks are cold, the gifts are plentiful, and Pepsi is nowhere to be found.

She will be deeply missed.