Marilyn F. Pilley

Marilyn Frances Pilley died January 13, 2021, at Creekside Health and Rehab Center in Madison from complications of Parkinson's disease.

She was born on October 13, 1947, in Fuzhou, China, where her parents John and Muriel Pilley were teachers at the Anglo Chinese College. After leaving China in 1949, the family relocated to Sibu, Sarawak, Malaysia where Marilyn's mother and father are now buried.

Marilyn graduated from Kentucky Wesleyan University in Owensboro and had been married to the late William Jackson of Memphis. She and her husband lived in Italy while he was in the service and later came back to settle in Nashville. Their daughter Andrea drowned in a tragic canoeing accident in 1999, at the age of fifteen.

Marilyn worked at Vanderbilt University Library for more than thirty years and attended Calvary UMC and was a faithful member of the We Three class and The Friendship Class, and she lent her beautiful soprano voice to Calvary's choir. She and her sister Gail made a sentimental journal back to China in 2012, to visit a school in Fuqing, Fujian Province, where their grandfather had been principal from 1903 - 1906. Harry and Belle Caldwell of Nashville had been missionaries to Fujian from 1901- 1944.

Marilyn loved beauty, flowers, and music and was a strong advocate for animal welfare. She is survived by her brother John Pilley of Colville, Washington, sister Gail Harris of Rockford, Tennessee, her friends Lassie Crowder and Royce Monk of Nashville, her friends Tony Yeh of Madison and Bonnie Chen of Nashville and her beloved dogs, Charlie and Sally.

The family wishes to thank Lassie Crowder, especially for her faithful support of Marilyn and the personnel of Creekside for their compassionate care. No services are planned. Memorial donations may be made to the animal welfare charity of your choice.

Williams Funeral Home & Crematory is assisting the family with arrangments. Condolences can be given to the family online at www.williamsfh.com .