Marvel Frances Rilling

She was born in Portland to Charles and Ethel Robinson and graduated from Vancouver High School. After high school she went to work at the Pythian Home in Vancouver where she met a young house painter named Wilfred “Bill” Rilling. The couple married in 1947 at a ceremony held in her mother’s home in Vancouver.

In 1951 the couple moved to their permanent home in Hillsboro where they raised five children and both lived in until their deaths. Marvel was a wife, mother and homemaker not only to her own five children but to the many neighborhood children taken in by her while their mothers worked jobs outside the home. She was a “Mother and Home” for many of the neighborhood children.

Marvel became a Girl Scout Leader for Troop 504 when her daughter, Sharon, was old enough to start Brownies. She continued to be a leader in scouting not only through Sharon’s senior year but for many years after with other young ladies that Marvel loved and supported in the scouting program. At one point she was the leader to five groups of girls in varying phases of their Girl Scout lives. Marvel and “her girls” participated in many adventures, one of which was participating in the annual Hillsboro 4th of July Happy Days Parade where they won the 1st Place trophy that still adorns her home today. Marvel was not only loved and honored by her many Girl Scouts, but, she also supported her three sons in Boy Scouts, two of which earned the rank of Eagle Scout.

When not giving all her time to her children or Scouts, Marvel loved to garden with her husband on their five acre farm with berries, produce, filberts and walnuts. Every fall Marvel would “can” as many as 500 quarts to fill their pump house while Bill would collect and sell filberts and walnuts. Marvel was a fabulous pie maker and sold her homemade pies to a local restaurant, the favorite being her lemon meringue.

As her children grew older she became the bookkeeper for Brethauer Oil Company where she worked until her retirement, the same time Bill retired from Mayflower Farms. Marvel lost her beloved husband, Bill, after 56 years of marriage. She spent her remaining years at the family home enjoying her children, many grand and great-grandchildren.

Marvel is survived by her brothers, Gary and Richard Siegel; sons, Dennis Rilling of Bend, Larry (Kay) Rilling of Beaverton and Terry (Julie) Rilling of Cornelius; daughters, Sharon (Joe) Kust of Scholls and Patty Rilling of Beaverton; six grandchildren and 9 ½ great-grandchildren.

Marvel will be laid to rest next to her husband in Skyline Memorial Gardens. A funeral will be held at 11:30 am on Wednesday, June 18, 2014 at Skyline Memorial Gardens Funeral Home.

Any donations can be made in memory of Marvel Rilling, Troop 504, to Girl Scouts of Oregon,9620 SW Barbur Blvd., Portland Ore. 503-977-6800

Arrangements under the direction of Skyline Memorial Gardens Funeral Home, Portland, OR. 503 292 6611