On Tuesday August 13th 2024, Marilyn Dunlap Laird passed peacefully and gracefully into heaven at the age of 82. Her life will be celebrated at a later date. Marilyn was born in Paris, TN on March 30, 1942, to the late Dr. Arthur Caldwell Dunlap and Emily Jeannette Mandle Dunlap. From an early age, she was bright and inquisitive, while also being at the head of her class. She attended and graduated from Sweet Briar College with a Degree in History in 1964.
On July 31, 1965, she married Charles (Jock) David Laird, from Holly Springs, MS. At the time of their marriage, Marilyn wore a family wedding dress designed of ivory princess satin embroidered with pearls. Marilyn was beautiful and stunning on their wedding day especially in Jock’s eyes.
They began a family and lived in Paris, TN until 1984 when they relocated to Simsbury, CT with their 4 children. In 1992, they moved to Morris, IL where they lived for 11 years until they moved to Terre Haute, IN.
In 2024, they relocated to Pontotoc, MS to be closer to family.
Marilyn was a strong partner for Jock. They did everything together and enjoyed life together. Her children can attest to this; for they were a team, and they loved each other very much. Marilyn enjoyed meeting new people and never met anyone she would not talk to. She truly enjoyed reading, whether it was fiction or things going on in the world she soaked in every word. Marilyn loved sports and was always there watching her children play while taking care of everything for the family in between games. While living in Terre Haute, Marilyn enjoyed playing cards with her friends and socializing about current events of the day.
Before dementia and alzheimer’s took ahold of Marilyn, she was one of the sharpest people you would have ever met. She had a thirst for knowledge and if we could have ever gotten her on Jeopardy there is no doubt who the winner would have been.
Marilyn is preceded in death by her parents Dr. Arthur Dunlap and Emily Jeannette Mandle Dunlap and her younger sister Sarah Elna Dunlap. She is survived by her husband of 59 years, Charles (Jock) Laird and her four children; Sarah Laird MacDonald , Sydney Hall (Trent), Leslie Lodge (Joey) and Charles Laird (Kamilla), eleven grandchildren and one great grandchild.
In lieu of flowers, Marilyn would prefer you make a contribution to the Jog Your Memory 5k, (2024 Jog Your Memory 5K Run and 1.5 Mile Walk for Alzheimer’s Online Donations (runsignup.com) or MDS Foundation (myelodysplasticsyndromes) Donate Now to the MDS Foundation (qgiv.com)
