Marilynn Pannell

Marilynn Fulton Pannell passed away Tuesday, May 28, 2024 in Columbus, Ohio, after a protracted period of declining health.  She was 84, though she was loath to admit it.  Well into her years she retained the freshness, youthfulness and vigor for which she was renowned among family and friends.  Said one, I just remember the smiles, the laughs, the intellect.  Said a high school classmate, she always had the answers to everything.  A co-worker and roommate when she was living in New York thought it remarkable how readily Marilynn adapted to new jobs and how eagerly she waded into new challenges.   These included careers at Spence-Chapin adoption agency and at three major publishing houses, McGraw Hill, Simon & Schuster and Doubleday.

Marilynn was born February 23, 1940, in Janesville, Wisconsin, and as a child moved with family to Wilmington, Ohio, where she grew up in the family of her mother Mary Raizk Makool and stepfather Richard “Pete” Fulton.  As a teen-aged student she also managed a part-time job in a beauty parlor until she graduated from Wilmington High School with honors in 1958.   She went on to Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, where she excelled.  With her wide-ranging interests and insatiable curiosity, she decided fresh out of college, with remarkable courage and confidence, to undertake New York.

 She rapidly found work in the big city which she performed with her characteristic enthusiasm.  After hours the 1960's were an ideal time to resume her music interests.  Bob Dylan was a favorite, among others.  She also maintained a constant vigil on the news, especially national and international affairs.  In this era, James R. Pannell, a native New Yorker who shared many of Marilynn's interests and views, came into her life.  They were married May 12, 1973, in New York.  The happiest event of their lives was the birth of their only child, daughter Meredith.  In need of more room, the new family gave up the Bronx apartment and bought a home in West Islip, Long Island, N.Y.  Tragically, the life of Jim Pannell was cut short when he died July 31, 2016, from injuries suffered in a traffic accident.

Marilynn Pannell is seen by many individuals as a quiet person, a gentle person.   While these epithets fit, she also had her fiery moments, but these only grew out of her fondness and concern for those she loved and were quickly dispelled.   A cousin recalled her thus: a happy, pretty girl with dark hair – always smiling.  Excited about life.

In 2017, Marilynn moved to Columbus to be near her intimate family: her grandsons Aidan Minogue and Brady Minogue, their parents Patrick and Meredith Minogue, her nephew Timothy Fulton who was so helpful to her, her brothers Kenneth Fulton, Wayne Fulton, Peter Fulton of Jacksonville, Florida, and stepsister Kelli Fulton. Other survivors include her Aunt Adele King of Woodland Hills, California and numerous cousins.

The family will receive friends from 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM, Wednesday, June 5, 2024 at Smith Funeral Home, 327 N. South Street, Wilmington, Ohio followed by a service at 11:00 AM.  Burial will be at Sugar Grove Cemetery in Wilmington.

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