Marilyn Harris Dunning, age 76, of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, formerly of Wilmington, Delaware, died peacefully at home on Wednesday, December 29, 2021. She was born to William and Marie Harris of Wallingford, Pennsylvania in 1945.
Marilyn graduated from Villa Maria Academy in Malvern, Pennsylvania in 1963, and she graduated from Chestnut Hill College in Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania in 1967 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology.
Marilyn’s oldest daughter was born in 1968 with Down Syndrome, and given the high level of care her daughter needed, Marilyn decided to put her desires for a career aside. She dedicated herself to creating a happy and successful life for her daughter, and she went on to have two more children to whom she was deeply devoted. In her free time, Marilyn enjoyed volunteering as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) in Wilmington, playing tennis, and other social activities as a former member of the Greenville Country Club. Once her kids were grown, Marilyn found an outlet for her more creative side through being the owner and manager of a flower shop in downtown Wilmington for a few years. After closing the flower shop, she enjoyed traveling with her husband, golf, and playing bridge with Bridge Studio of Delaware, and often at the Wilmington Country Club where she was a member. Over the years of playing bridge, she accumulated enough masterpoints to become a Silver Life Master.
In 2013, Marilyn was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, and in the same intensely focused fashion with which she approached everything in life, Marilyn studied the disease thoroughly and worked conscientiously at physical therapy and lifestyle modifications that would support her. As part of that effort, she started boxing at Neuro Fitness Therapy in Wilmington, which brought her both therapeutic benefit and great enjoyment.
She is survived by her husband of 54 years, Richard Lyons Dunning, two daughters: Kristin Dunning and Megan Argo (Chris), and son, Keith Dunning. She is also survived by her beloved granddaughter, Janice Argo, as well as her nieces, Amanda Jones (Joe) and Sharla Stefanovich (Caleb).
A celebration of Marilyn’s life will be held at a future date. The family also wishes to express its deep gratitude to Comfort Keepers for the patient and loving care that Marilyn received in her home over the past year. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in Marilyn’s name to Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, Grand Central Station, P.O. Box 4777, New York NY 10163, 1-800-708-7644, http://www.michaeljfox.org.
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