In 1921, on a warm August day in Canyonville, Oregon, Victor and Etta Shaw welcomed a healthy baby girl into their family. They named her Marilyn. Her 4- year old brother, Marden now had a little sister. She and Marden were second generation Oregonians, as their mother Etta had been born close by in the town of Days Creek, Oregon. Nestled in the mountains of Southern Oregon, Canyonville was an ideal place to grow up. As a child, Marilyn would spend the warm months of the year out gathering wildflowers, which nurtured her love of flowers, a love that stayed with her for her entire life. She spent many happy hours at the home of her grandparents, Theodore and Clara Shaw who lived in Canyonville also.
In 1927, Marilyn's mother, Etta, became a foster mother and wet nurse for a new baby whose mother had died in childbirth. The Schroeder children, Baby "Bud", as he was nicknamed, and his 2-year old sister, Faith, spent many hours at the Shaw home and became endeared to the whole family. Their father, grief stricken over the death of his wife, struggled with being a single father, and eventually agreed to have both of his children raised by Etta and Victor. Marilyn now had a little sister and brother to share her home. She was devoted to both Bud and Faith, and considered them her brother and sister.
When she was 9 years old, the family moved to Cottage Grove, where she and her siblings attended grade school. When she was 13, they returned to Canyonville where all the children attended Canyonville High School. Her father bought a grocery store in the heart of town, which was called Shaw's Grocery.
After graduation in 1939, she got a job in Roseburg and helped out her family, until the summer of 1940, when she met Bradford Wynter, from the neighboring town of Myrtle Creek. They met at a July 4th celebration, and it only took Bradford 2 months to convince her that she was the love of his life. They married on a hot September 1, 1940, at her parent's home. They honeymooned over at the Southern Oregon coast. Their first home was a tiny apartment in Roseburg. They moved back to Canyonville after a few months and rented a cabin for awhile. Bradford built them their first home on a large lot next door to Marilyn's parents, which they had given the young couple. Janice Lynn, their first daughter was born there in 1942. During WWII Brad and Marilyn moved to Portland for a short time while he worked at the Kaiser Shipyards. When they returned to Canyonville, he was drafted, and Marilyn and Jan spent a couple of years on their own, waiting out the war.
After the war, they moved to Roseburg where they welcomed their second daughter, Crystal in 1949. Moving around became a pattern for them, and in 1950 they moved to Tacoma, Washington. Eight years later they moved again to Mesa, Arizona. In Mesa, Marilyn worked at Motorola where she operated a mechanical saw that cut silicone chips. She also worked at J.C. Penney's as a store clerk for awhile.
In 1961 they returned to Oregon and lived in Medford, where Marilyn got a job at Harry and David in their corporate office. In 1963 they moved yet again, this time to Portland. There Marilyn worked in the office of the Volunteers of America where her incredible typing skills were noted. A coworker who noticed her skills recommended her for a job with the First American Title Insurance Company in downtown Portland where she eventually worked for several years, learning the title insurance industry. When she and Brad built a home near Oregon City, she requested to transfer to the office there, where she worked her way up to become the branch manager. Her strong work ethic and people skills earned her much respect from all who worked with her.
In 1983, she sadly lost her beloved husband, Brad, laying him to rest in his childhood home of Myrtle Creek. A few years later, she remarried, to an old family friend, Woodrow Carter, who had recently lost his wife. She moved to Sandy, Oregon, with "Woody", and sold her home in Oregon City. She retired from First American Title in 1986 and she and Woody became "snow birds" spending their winters in Florida and the warm months here in Oregon. Woody's two step-daughters, Georgia and Louise, and his son Bob Carter all accepted Marilyn with affection, and Marilyn treated them with love and kindness, developing a close relationship with both her step-daughters who lived near her home in Florida.

Over the years, Marilyn's daughters gave her six grandchildren, three grandsons from Jan: Kevin, Darin, and Troy Gallagher; and three granddaughters from Crystal: Angelyn, Ruth, and Laura Jauregui. All of her grandchildren married and over the years gave her 18 great-grandchildren. Marilyn loved her family and was proud of each and every one of them. Even when she was wheelchair bound, she kept up with all of their accomplishments. Unlike many of her generation, she embraced new technology, and using her computer she communicated with family via email and even had her own Facebook page. Her amazing typing skills came in very handy for her. She was not only a beloved mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, but also a beloved Aunt to the children of her own siblings including those of Faith and Bud, and those of Brad's sisters and brothers. Auntie Marilyn, as she was affectionately known by them, kept up on their life happenings and was always available for an encouraging word.

Despite all of Marilyn's history of moving from place to place, she managed to make close friends wherever she lived, and she kept in touch with friends over the years through letters and cards. Her friend list goes back over 90 years, and she was still making close friends right up to the end at her last place of residence at Gilman Park in Oregon City.

Marilyn was a life-long Christian who always strived to live a Christ centered life. She taught her daughters the value of hard work, and the love of family. She will be remembered by all of those who knew her as a kind hearted and loving person. At the Avamere nursing facility, where she spent the last 5 months of her life, she was visited daily by friends and family.
Her death on August 10th kept her from celebrating her 96th birthday with us, which would have been on August 27, 2017. Instead she celebrated it in heaven. She was laid to rest next to Brad in the Odd Fellows Cemetery on the hill in Myrtle Creek, Oregon, on August 18, 2017. And she will be greatly missed by us all.