Marilyn G. Stephens
12/26/1945 - 07/17/2024
Marilyn Gail Stephens, cherished wife, devoted mother and adoring grandmother, passed away on July 17, 2024. She left us at the ripe and golden age of 78 on an unseasonably clear and beautiful July afternoon in San Francisco, the city where she was born and raised.
Born to Lorene and Edward Hammer on December 26, 1945, Marilyn grew up with her younger sister, Carilyn in a loving household in the Sunset district. After graduating from Lincoln High School, she earned her Associate of Arts degree in English from the City College of San Francisco.
Her life changed forever in 1963, when she met the love of her life and best friend, Bill Stephens, to whom she was married for over 56 years. They were married in San Francisco on May 18, 1968, five years to the day after they first met on a blind date. She and Bill started their family in San Francisco in 1970 but migrated to the ‘burbs of Belmont in 1975, where they raised their three children, John (53), Lori (51) and Victoria (47). Her life’s work was her family, the beating heart and driving force behind virtually every moment of consequence, from being at her children’s side for broken bones and ear surgeries to planning overly ambitious family vacations, surprise trips to Disneyland and hosting epic 49ers watch parties. Once her children headed off to adulthood, she and Bill began one of their grandest adventures in 2003, when they sold the family business, left the family home and took a break from the Bay Area to forge a new life of semi-retirement and social butterflying in Austin, TX. They eventually rotated back to California in 2018, settling down in Lincoln, CA, closer to family and friends in Northern California.
Her friends and family have a lifetime of memories and moments with a woman who uncompromisingly enjoyed everything that life could offer. Her kindness, generosity, creativity, sense of humor, commitment to family and undying love for her husband will endure.
Marilyn was preceded in death by her parents, Lorene and Edward Hammer. She is survived by her loving husband, Bill Stephens, and her three children John (Lisle), Lori Mitchell (Brad) and Victoria (Katie). She will also be missed by her three grandchildren Kieran, Molly and Finn. She is also survived by younger sister Carilyn, her dear cousin, Carol Drury and multiple nieces, nephews and cousins whom she loved dearly.
Visitation will be held from 5pm to 8pm, with a rosary at 7pm on Wednesday, July 24 at Crippen & Flynn Carlmont Chapel in Belmont. A memorial Mass will be celebrated at the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Belmont at Noon on Thursday, July 25. A reception will follow at Twin Pines Arts Center in Belmont.