Marilyn Corwin Berding May 19, 1939 - October 23, 2013

Marilyn Louise (Corwin) Berding inspired an eternal legacy of faith and love. After suffering with Alzheimer's for many years, Marilyn went to be with her Lord on October 23, 2013.

Her life will be celebrated at a memorial service on November 2, at 2 p.m. at Sisters Community Church, 1300 W. Mackenzie Hwy. in Sisters.

Marilyn was born on May 19, 1939 in Troy, New York, to Irma and Elbert Corwin.

Despite a tumultuous childhood, Marilyn was blessed with the steady presence of her Grandma Corwin, who took her to Sunday school in the finger-lake region of western New York. There, Marilyn saw a picture on the wall of Jesus embracing a group of children and responded with this thought: "Jesus loves those children; Jesus loves me!" And so began her profoundly deep affection for the Lord, and the faith that would grow to define and illuminate Marilyn's life.

When Andrew Robert (Drew) Berding was first introduced to auburn-haired Marilyn in their high school cafeteria in Washington D.C., he thought she was the prettiest girl he'd ever seen. "I was a nerd," remembers Drew. "She actually talked to me; none of the other girls would. We had gone through the same schools since junior high, but had never met or noticed each other. Perhaps God was keeping us out of trouble!"

On her eighteenth birthday, Drew proposed. But Marilyn was determined to stay true to a promise she had made to her father that she would earn a college degree before accepting a wedding ring.

On her way to becoming a registered nurse, Marilyn attended Russell Sage College in Troy, NY; Ellis Hospital School of Nursing in Schenectady; and Marcy State Hospital. Drew racked up many a mile in his beat-up '52 Plymouth, driving to see her. Honoring the promise to her dad, they married on August 28, 1960, the day after she graduated.

While Drew completed his engineering degree, Marilyn worked as an industrial nurse for Sterling Winthrop (Bayer Aspirin). Their first home was an 8-foot-by-35-foot house-trailer. It was tiny, but they didn't mind. In fact, they hauled that happy little home-on-wheels to San Jose, California when Drew accepted a position with IBM.

Valentine's Day, 1970 marked a defining moment, as Drew first placed his faith in Jesus on the same day Marilyn recommitted her heart to the Lord. Together, they walked hand in hand to the front of Los Gatos Christian Church to publicly acknowledge their decisions. The significance of these events altered the course of their lives, and impacted many others.

While raising their three children, it wasn't unusual to find Marilyn in her kitchen with a Bible in one hand, stirring oatmeal with the other.

During the "Jesus Movement" the Berding home was often packed for Bible studies, with young people lining the stairs, and even under the piano. Young married couples looked to them for counseling, so Drew and Marilyn pursued additional training. Marilyn earned a bachelor's in organizational behavior from the University of San Francisco, then both Drew and Marilyn completed master's degrees in counseling psychology at Santa Clara University.

Despite Marilyn's symptoms of very early onset Alzheimer's, Drew helped her to remember assignment deadlines; she graduated in 1995 with a higher GPA than him.

By the time they followed their dream to move to Scottsdale, Arizona, Marilyn was quite symptomatic. Nevertheless, they frequented art galleries, and went out dancing several nights a week. Marilyn was a great dancer.

Ten years ago, they moved to Sisters to be close to their daughter, Stephanie King.

The Bible says, "Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends" (1 Cor 13:7-8). Drew was equipped to care for Marilyn as her disease progressed, because she had shown him how to love. Through her own love for the Lord, she inspired a vibrant legacy of faith in Jesus that has now stretched to a fourth generation.

Marilyn is survived by her loving husband of 53 years, Drew, of Sisters; three children and their spouses: Stephanie King and husband, Randy, of Sisters; Ken and Trudi Berding of La Mirada, California; Keith and Sherri Berding of San Jose, California; nine grandchildren; and a great-grandchild who arrived in September.

Contributions may be made in Marilyn's name to the Alzheimer's Association, P.O. Box 96011, Washington, D.C. 20090, or at http://www.alz.org.