Marilyn A. Petrie

Marilyn Fox Petrie, 95, passed away on July 4, 2026. She was the widow of Lt. Col. James Waite Petrie, USAF, Retired. Born in Mansfield, Ohio to Leo R. and Grace (Kochheiser) Fox, she graduated from Buchtel High School in Akron and attended Ohio University where she joined Pi Beta Phi sorority. After raising three children and moving homes 30 times for her husband’s military career, she was head secretary for the Biology Department at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. Upon retirement, she relocated to Lillian, Alabama where she and Jim were active in the Coast Guard Auxiliary. Both will be remembered for their long and dedicated service.

She attended Lillian Methodist Church and knit and donated many blankets for a service program there. She also enjoyed both needlepoint and cross-stitch with nature, nautical, and historical themes. She regularly joined the eight a.m. water aerobics class at the pool in Spanish Cove, where she and her husband lived.

She is survived by two of her three children - James Fox Petrie of Lillian and Lynn Petrie of Garden Valley, California, as well as two grandchildren - Jama Tupua of Waxhaw, North Carolina and Brett Gilmore of Seneca, South Carolina. She was preceded in death by her dear daughter Di Ann Gilmore of Seneca, South Carolina. The family is grateful for the generous and kind caregiving of Melody Johnese (and her miniature Schnauzer Maggy) as Marilyn’s health declined.

A Celebration of Marilyn’s life will be held at Spanish Cove Club House on Clubhouse Drive in Lillian, AL on Wednesday July 22 from 5 - 7pm.