When she was five, the Burns family moved to Zion, Iowa, to help manage her grandfather’s farm. Two years later her father bought a farm in Thayer, Iowa, where Marilyn spent the rest of her childhood, graduating from Thayer High School in 1952 as valedictorian of her six-person class.
On June 22 of that same year, she married Gary Eginoire and moved a few miles up the road to Lorimor, Iowa. They raised their four children on the Eginoire family farm, while also owning several local businesses.
In 1983, Gary and Marilyn moved to Osage Beach, Missouri. Until their retirement, they owned and operated the Just Like Home restaurant at Lake of the Ozarks, which featured Marilyn’s delicious home cooking.
After Gary’s death, Marilyn married Harold Needham and they continued living in Osage Beach. Upon being widowed once again, she moved to Lincoln in 2015 to be near her daughter.
The chronology of her life only tells a small part of Marilyn’s story. She was a fearless, intrepid spirit, water-skiing into her 70s, riding a camel in Egypt in her 80s, and climbing onto roofs to fix things far longer than anyone wanted her to.
She was an exceptional cook and baker. Anyone who ever tasted her homemade noodles, fried chicken, pies, cinnamon rolls, biscuits and gravy, and homemade doughnuts will not forget them.
Marilyn loved getting her hands in the dirt and was an outstanding gardener. She traded her large vegetable garden and strawberry patch on the farm for flower gardens at the lake, and her meticulous lawn was her pride and joy. Just ask anyone who tried to mow it to her standards.
Although she always considered herself first and foremost a farm woman, she also loved her life at the lake—often saying she felt like a queen there. She had always enjoyed being near water, especially when a boat was involved, but she was the first to admit she never learned to swim.
Marilyn liked to be busy. When she had too much time on her hands after moving to Lincoln, she quickly rectified the situation by volunteering at several local charities. She also joined Bethany Christian Church and the local P.E.O. BR-GV chapter.
Her deepest joy in life was her family. Being a wife, mother, and grandmother were the roles she cherished most. The weekend of June 22nd was to have been a big birthday party in her honor, with her family flying in from all over the country. Characteristically, she had the last word, however, and turned the weekend into a different sort of celebration of her life.
Marilyn was predeceased by her husbands, Gary and Harold, and youngest daughter, Lori, as well as her three siblings. She is survived by her son Steve Eginoire and his wife, Kathy; her daughter Merry Klonower and her husband, Mark; her daughter Linda Haun and her husband, Steve; and Lori’s husband, Jeff Kirk. She is also survived by her 10 grandchildren, 12 great grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.
Her family would especially like to thank the staff at The Monarch and HoriSun Hospice for their kind and skilled care of Marilyn.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to The Monarch hospice center, 4201 S. 78th St, Lincoln NE 68506 or I’ve Got A Name, 4610 Union Hill Rd., Lincoln, NE 68516
Marilyn’s memorial service will be held at 1:00 pm Saturday, June 22, 2024, at Roper and Sons South Lincoln Chapel, 3950 Hohensee Dr.
Link to Service Recording: