Marilyn I. Sanow, 66, of Idaho Falls, passed on to a greater life May 1, 2017, at her home after a courageous two-year battle with cancer.

She was the first of three daughters born to Carl and Marion Anderson, arriving May 14, 1950, which was her mother's first Mother's Day. Marilyn graduated from Skyline High School in 1968 and married Dan Sanow on Oct. 4, 1969. While sharing a life together for over 47 years, they raised five children together: Rose (Dan) Weber, Jamie Sanow (Brigitte), Beth Davis (Jim), Tim Sanow (Robyn) and Jessica Sanow.

Marilyn was a member of St. Luke's Episcopal Church and shared a deep sense of commitment to the principles her religious beliefs gave her.

Marilyn grew up camping and fishing on many weekends with her family and their faithful Labrador, Jock, along the many creeks and rivers here in eastern Idaho. Trout fresh from the creek was one of her favorite meals. She was a member of the original Skyline Teddy Bears Drill Team and a lifelong member of the Girls Scouts.

Flowers were always an important part of Marilyn's life. She would watch for the first crocus of spring to push its way up to the bright sun, often through fresh fallen snow. Her summers were filled with a broad cast of blooming flowers in the many gardens surrounding her home, and each year she always lamented the last rose in the fall.

Marilyn had a variety of activities in her life and became very accomplished at all of them. She loved being an Avon lady, almost as much as she liked the products, and over a period of five years, reached the position of team leader. As a pastime, Marilyn was an avid reader, often reading three to five books in a week. She was also a very accomplished cook and often took that talent outside the home, cooking meals for the Odd Fellow and Rebekah Lodges and for the Soup Kitchen.

It was while cooking meals at the Soup Kitchen, however, that Marilyn found her true calling in life. Along with her husband, Dan, Marilyn devoted 30 years to serving the needs of others as a co-director of the Soup Kitchen. For most of those years, she recruited and supervised the training and daily operation of the Soup Kitchen teams, coordinated the annual scheduling needs, and she defined and oversaw the impeccable cleanliness standards maintained in the Soup Kitchen.

As important as all her community activities were to her, however, none of them compared to her love of the activities centered in her home life and with her entire family. Most of the extended family birthday parties and holiday gatherings were in her home, and she and her very independent Siamese cat, Tomasina, were almost inseparable for 17 years.

Marilyn was preceded in death by her parents and is survived by her husband, Dan, her five children, four grandchildren and her two sisters, Carolyn (Rex) Robertson and Lisa (Bruce) Becker.

A celebration of her life will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 13, at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, 270 Placer Ave. It is suggested that anyone wishing to acknowledge their memories of Marilyn should send a donation to the Soup Kitchen in her name at 301 S. Boulevard, Idaho Falls, ID 83401.