Marilyn Reardon

Friday, November 7, 2025

Marilyn J. Reardon, age 97, of Herndon, Virginia died on November 7, 2025 at Adler Center for Caring. She was born on June 18, 1928 in Columbus, Ohio to the late Ellis W. Jones and Helen Baker Jones. She graduated from West High School in Columbus, Ohio, and Capital University in Columbus, Ohio. Following her formal education and marriage to Bill Clifton “Father Bill” Reardon, she began her lifelong career of being the consummate “Preacher’s Wife.” Always the first to greet a new church visitor and even to the end, in a weakened state, when a nurse would ask, “how are you?” she would respond, “I am fine, but how are you doing?”

In addition to this unofficial job, she made time to raise a family and immerse herself in volunteer work. She was a member of the Junior League of Roanoke, Daughters of the American Revolution, and countless church committees and functions. Being a farm girl from Ohio, she was better at doing, than delegating. The family has mixed memories of the year that she was head of costumes for the Junior League production of Cinderella, and ended up making most of the costumes herself.

After her children were all in school, she began her forty year career in elementary education. She taught most of those years at Greenbriar East Elementary school and touched the lives of many many students as they started their formal education. After her official retirement, she continued as a substitute teacher for many years. She was never prouder than when she got to teach the child and then the grandchild of an earlier student.

In addition to her family and her teaching, her church was the other most important thing in her life. Being part of the creation of Epiphany Episcopal Church, helping it grow from a few members meeting in a local middle school, constructing the physical campus, surviving some tumultuous political times, to the thriving parish that it is today was one of her proudest accomplishments. Marilyn had a lot of friends, but especially at the later stages of her life, her “school friends” and her “church friends” were instrumental in keeping her social and supported. These folks meant the world to her.

Marilyn is not only survived by her immediate family, but by a large extended family of those whose lives she touched. The five page space limitation limits our ability to list all those who fondly called her Mom or Grandma. Her compassion and caring for others guided her life. She is survived by her children, Kathleen, David, Cindy, Becky, and Debbie. She is survived by her grandchildren Tanya, Alex, Alanna, Yasmine, Kevin, and Dustin and her great grandchildren Alexis, Michael, Liam, Ayden, and Noah.

In a 97 year lifetime, it is difficult to name all of her varied interests, whether it be traveling, camping (love the bears at Yellowstone!), summers at Hemlock Haven, summers in Camden, summers camping on the Blue Ridge Parkway, needlepoint, but at the later stages of her life, it was her family, dear friends, working jigsaw puzzles (where is that missing piece?), and football, Washington and Ohio State first and foremost.

A dear friend wrote, “I’ve always been moved by the baptismal statement of grounding said over us at the sacred moment of chrismation: ‘You are sealed by the Holy Spirit at baptism and marked as Christ’s own forever.’” We celebrate her life and her entry into the eternal kingdom. A lot of folks are waiting her arrival and we will all miss her presence in our lives.

Funeral services will be on November 11th at the Church of the Epiphany in Herndon, followed by a celebration of Marilyn’s life, and final interment at the Church of Emmanuel Episcopal Cemetery in Middleburg. The family suggests that memorial contributions be made in her honor to Shrine Mont, an Episcopal retreat and conference center in the Shenandoah Valley. It held a special place in Marilyn’s heart as she had fond memories of time spent there, not the least of which, celebrating her 50th wedding anniversary.

Contributions made be made at www.shrinemont.com.