PENOBSCOT
Marilyn Ruth Tapley, devoted wife and mother, passed away on June 23, 2018, surrounded by her loving family. Marilyn brought her light into this world on May 4, 1932. She was born to Melvin A. Wardwell Jr. and Adelene Hutchins Wardwell in Penobscot.
Marilyn attended Penobscot schools and graduated from Clark High School in 1949. Soon after, in 1950, she married Robert J. Tapley. They spent their life together in the home they built on Pension Hill, where they raised their three children, Sylvia, Robert and Joseph.
Marilyn took great pride in her home, making it into a safe haven for her children and grandchildren. After the children began school, she worked outside the home. Her last job was at the local market, where she worked for 25 years, retiring at the age of 80. While there, she made many long-lasting friendships with her sense of humor and infectious smile.
In the 1970s and 1980s, she and Robert traveled to many parts of the USA and Canada, but her favorite places were here in the state of Maine. She especially loved their annual snowmobiling vacations to Rangeley, and their annual camping vacations on the East Branch of the Penobscot River at the foot of Mount Katahdin.
She loved all animals, her domestic pets, especially her grand-dog Maggie May, and welcomed the wild birds and animals that visited her back door.
Marilyn is survived by her teenage sweetheart and husband of 68 years, Robert Tapley of Penobscot, daughter Sylvia Tapley and wife, Becky Tapley, of Penobscot, son Robert Tapley and former wife, Kate Tapley, of Blue Hill, son Joseph Tapley and fiancée Kristen Greer of Falmouth, grandchildren Anna Tapley and partner Mo Sheehan, Noah Tapley and wife, Sarah Tapley, Nolan Tapley, Mitchell Tapley, Olivia Tapley and great-grandchildren Finley and Weston. Marilyn will be greatly missed by sister-in-law Marjorie Wardwell, special namesake niece Tammy Wardwell, her three nephews David, Peter and Toby Wardwell, of Penobscot, dear cousin Pat Flannery and husband, Kenneth, of Stockton Springs, longtime friends and “like” family Glenn and Judy Findlay of Bucksport, special friend and neighbor Donna Rankin of Penobscot. She was predeceased by her parents, Melvin A. Wardwell Jr. and Adelene Hutchins Wardwell, stepfather Albert Grindle and brother Millard Wardwell.
Marilyn was an Eastern Star Lifetime Member, a member of the Penobscot Historical Society, and a member of the Penobscot United Methodist Church. She was also one of the Green Granite Girls.
She loved music from the 1940s and 1950s, plus songs from Broadway shows. She enjoyed family celebrations where the table would be laden with home-cooked goodies, and always baked a homemade birthday cake on birthdays. She was also known far and wide for her famous award-winning blueberry pies.
Donations can be made in Marilyn’s memory to the Penobscot United Methodist Church P.O. Box 30, Penobscot, ME 04476 or the Ark Animal Shelter, P.O. Box 276, Cherryfield, ME 04622.
A celebration of Marilyn’s life will be held at the Penobscot United Methodist Church, 14 Southern Bay Road, Penobscot, on Wednesday, June 27, 2018, at 2:30 p.m., followed by an interment at the Penobscot Bay Cemetery and a reception at the church. Arrangements are under the care of Mitchell-Tweedie Funeral Home, 28 Elm St., Bucksport, ME 04416. www.mitchelltweedie-young.com.