Oak Park, IL - Marilyn Ann Stamp, 89, of Oak Park, formerly of Clinton, Iowa, passed away peacefully on April 4, 2026, after a long decline due to strokes and Alzheimer's disease.

Marilyn was, in every sense, a force. Strong, sharp, funny, and fiercely independent, she moved through the world with curiosity, believed deeply in the causes she fought for, worked hard, and had a gift that bordered on legendary: she could talk to anyone and everyone and find out their life story in about five minutes. She collected antiques, rescued every dog she could, and built a sprawling, lifelong network of people who adored her.

Raised in Clinton, Iowa, alongside her older sister Jacelyn, Marilyn was the daughter of Elsie and Jack Stamp. She graduated from Clinton High School in 1954 and headed to Moline, Illinois, to attend the Lutheran Hospital School for Nurses. There, she found her people, a group of bold, brilliant women who became her lifelong squad.

Her nursing career took her across the country from Chicago to Florida to California before she decided to join the Army.

She served during the Vietnam War era and was honorably discharged after the birth of her daughter, Laura, in 1965.

She worked nights and went to school full-time during the day to earn her bachelor's degree so she could teach nursing at Clinton Community College. When she decided to pursue her master's degree, she packed Laura into a Volkswagen and headed to Tucson to attend the University of Arizona.

They returned to Clinton to be near family, and Marilyn dedicated herself to being an amazing mom.

Later, Marilyn took a job at a community college in eastern Montana. One year was enough for that adventure, and she moved to Kansas, where she earned yet another master's degree at the University of Kansas and became a professor at Graceland College. She loved being close to her sister and nieces and nephews, but when grandchildren arrived in Chicago, Marilyn didn't hesitate and moved again.

In Elburn, she did what she had always done best and built a life with new friends, new stories, and new adventures with her grandkids. She taught them songs, cooked amazing buttery meals for them, brought them to her beloved Elburn library and made them quilts and stuffed animals. When they were in high school, and life became a little tougher for Marilyn to navigate on her own, she moved to Oak Park and attended every band concert and ballet recital of theirs and took them to theater in Chicago.

Marilyn is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Laura Stamp and Brad Beile of Oak Park; her grandkids, Richard Beile (San Francisco) and Elise and Rosalyn Beile (Chicago), her sister, Jacelyn Petrehn (Overland Park, KS) and many nephews and nieces. To honor her memory: be outspoken for a cause you're passionate about, call a friend and talk for hours, adopt a shelter dog or meet someone new in the check out line. Oh yeah, and don't forget to smoother your food in butter and salt and enjoy every bite.

A virtual memorial service will be held on June 25 from 5:30-7. Email lkstamp@yahoo.com for the link.