I'm so sorry to hear of Aunt Marilyn's passing. I have such find memories of visiting as a kid. We would go off and have great adventures by the creek and clay cliffs. She was so kind when I fell out of a tree. I remember her taking me to get a swimming suit one time so that I could do to the pool. We didn't get to visit often, but I remember always looking forward to those visits. She always had a fun time. 
We had a wonderful conversation a few years ago after Dad passed away. It was so good to catch up.

Marilyn lived in Casto Circle many years and was a treasured friend.  I loved her spunky spirit and endless energy.  

part 4: I’m sure Marilyn and Alan bred into Greg all the qualities needed for someone to be a guy’s best friend. Thank you for the memories, the adventures, the pancakes, so much more Greg, Marilyn, Alan, and Ford. You have enriched my life, and yes, truly saved it a few times as well. My apologies for such a stream of consciousness. — Tom Taylor

part 3: Marilyn raised two of the best guys in the world. It’s pretty unusual for a best friend to have a younger brother who as actually cool. Yes, probably cooler than we were. Ford was top of the game. Really, how many friends’ younger brothers are actually intelligent, athletic, and fun to be around. Hanging out with Greg gave me a chance to feel okay about myself. I think he probably helped me learn how to talk to girls, though I’m sure I never quite caught on too well. Then on to high school. We skied together including having season passes together and traveling to Vail, Colorado for an out of state skiing adventure. We rode horses. We enjoyed buying cameras and learning photography together. We, along with our other buddies created the “Banana Club” and made 8mm movies together. Greg, along with being actor, co-director (not that we had much direction other than one darn thing after another), was responsible for creating the awesome soundtrack to the “award winning” Take the Bananas and Run. Greg and I each had Jeeps, though his actually ran most of the time. Trips to Canyonlands, Lake Powell, the Unitas, and so many other adventures. Greg picked me up every morning at 5:30 am for East High Swimming Team. Cold mornings into a cold pool. Greg was an awesome back-stroker—I never quite got the hang of back-stroke, but Greg had it down. The one time our coach had a bus for a swimming meet, a few of us had better transportation to the meet in Greg’s new Mach I Ford Mustang—an amazing car, and Greg turned out to be an amazing driver, actually saving our lives by his cool hand on the wheel during a 70-mile an our full spin on the freeway. I’m sure not the only time Greg saved my life with his cool, calm sense in an emergency...

part 2: Yes, Bonneville was our roaming ground. We sometimes even played golf, but we mainly used the upper end of the “practice range” for our neighborhood football games—I always liked being on Greg’s team. He was fast and knew how to create good plays. Greg got me through junior high. We walked to and from school together. Had classes together. Did homework together (only occasionally we did homework—most of the time we were having a good time discovering the world together). Shop classes he seemed to get a better grade than me fashioning our sheet-metal funnels. Greg somehow messed up on his, but then took a hammer and pounded it out and still got a better grade than me. On one scout winter campout we went tubing up on the Weber River. Neither of us were really prepared for a winter campout, but Greg and I pitched our tent in the snow. All the boys tubed down the bob-sled like course for hours then retired to our tents to “sleep.” It was legitimately measured 40-degrees below zero temperature and somehow by putting our sleeping bags together and shivering through the whole night, we survived to the sunrise. We got out and looked for our fellow scouts and leaders—nowhere to be found. We discovered they had all found their way to a cabin, where they all spend the night around the fire. Truly amazing we did not die, but once again, Greg helped me survive teen years. As if we didn’t spend all our time together and talk every day, we strung a wire between our houses and rigged up a way of talking through our tape recorders. We both loved music, but Greg was much more knowledgeable and sophisticated than me. I remember many debates between Greg and Chris as to who was the better group: The Beatles or the Beach Boys. Greg took the side of the Beatles and Chris took the Beach Boys and I just listened, knowing they both knew a lot more about music and what was cool than me... 

Marilyn was my best friend, Greg’s, mother. I grew up next door to the Holbrooks and have so many good memories of them. Saturday morning after a Friday night sleepover, Marilyn would prepare the best breakfasts for the hungry boys: the best pancakes, fried eggs cooked to order (no kidding, she asked how we liked them cooked), bacon, juice. I spent a lot of time at the Holbrooks, amazing they tolerated us, but we were Greg and Ford’s friends. I watched the moon landing and the first steps on the moon in the Holbrook’s family room—not only was it a gathering place, but they had the best TV. Yes, many Friday nights we watched Rocky Mountain Wrestling with “Crusher Kuwalski” and “Killer Knudsen,” followed by Nightmare Theater, all the time enjoying great snacks provided by Marilyn. Alan and Marilyn were the classiest people I knew. On occasion they took us out to dinner with Greg and Ford, even to the Cottonwood Club or a real restaurant. I even got to go to a U of U football game with the Holbrooks and park in VIP parking—I didn’t even know that kind of thing existed. We got to ride in their four-door Thunderbird, with power windows, that was leading edge stuff. The Holbrooks lead the way in the neighborhood to things that were cool. One-time Alan flew us boys in his private airplane to a school he was building hundreds of miles away—talk about adventure for a young boy. Talk about the height of cool, we got to go to Park City to the Treasure Mountain Inn with the Holbrooks and they trusted their sons and sons’ friends to spend the night and carouse on the town. Then, later to their “Ski Shack,” which was about the most amazing place I’d ever been—hot tub in the mid-winter on the upper deck in Park City—WOW! Elementary school, junior high, high school, I was always with Greg, hanging out, seeing the better side of life. It seemed we shared every adventure and spare moment: building forts down by the “crick,” hunting golf balls or selling lemonade on the golf course...

OBITUARY

Marilyn Holbrook

September 10, 1928 – March 28, 2021

Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park and Mortuary

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