Marilyn June Rehling

Marilyn J. Rehling, age 84, passed away September 9, 2020, surrounded by her family at her daughter and son-in-law’s home in Decatur, Georgia. She was born March 23, 1936 in Cleveland, Ohio to John and Dorothy (Doyle) Fahey, the second of four daughters. Marilyn graduated from Lourdes Academy and attended Cleveland Institute of Art. After she married at age 21, she lived in Dearborn Heights, MI, Des Plaines IL, and moved to Westerville, OH in 1965. Marilyn was devoted to her family and raising her daughters, Mary and Carolyn, whom she shared with former spouse James Rehling. She and her daughter Carolyn volunteered for Man-to-Man/Woman-to-Woman, a volunteer agency dedicated to supporting prison rehabilitation. She was awarded the outstanding volunteer of the Year in 1987 and went on to become a member of the State Board of the organization. Marilyn entered the workforce in 1985 as an Insurance Customer Representative with JCPenney Casualty Insurance Company, where she was promoted a number of times. She also held positions in Customer Service/Sales with chiropractic and drug testing companies while in the Columbus area. Due to her love of art, she started a craft business, Gifts from the Sea. Marilyn loved to travel internationally and enjoyed a trip of a lifetime to Japan and China for two weeks in 1983. She brought home some beautiful furnishings and local artwork. For her 70th birthday her daughters surprised her with a trip to Ireland, which thrilled her, given her Irish heritage. In 2003, Marilyn relocated to Atlanta, GA to be closer to some of her family. She worked in Inside Sales with Sprint and a closet design company before retiring in 2007. In 2009, Marilyn became certified as a Citizen Volunteer for the City of Suwanee and served as a monitor to area parks. She also served as a Resident Ambassador for Atria Park, Tucker, where she helped orient new residents to the facility. She loved dogs and had four in her lifetime; Buttons, Shannon, Keri and Keira. Marilyn is survived by her daughters, Mary (Rich) Shepherd and Carolyn Rehling (Alex Schaefer), by her sisters, Carol Sandor and Dorothy (Don) Kumhall and by her grandchildren, Alex Baker, Alexei Schaefer, and Lucas Schaefer. She is also survived by great grandchildren Gage and Aubree Vallette and many nieces and nephews. Marilyn was preceded in death by her parents, sister Kathleen (Dick) Garcher, and brother-in-law, Paul Sandor. Funeral services will be postponed until next Spring due to the pandemic. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Parkinson’s Foundation @Parkinson.org.