Marlyn James

Marlyn James passed very peacefully on June 25, 2016 from complications following brain surgery. Marlyn was born Nov. 27, 1945, a day she shared with Jimi Hendrix, which she always liked to remind us.

She was shortly after adopted by Fred — a college professor, big surprise — and Joy his musician wife, to join her brother Fred in San Diego, Calif.

While raising her three beautiful boys as a single mother in the early 1970s she decided to go back to school. Not knowing exactly what she wanted to pursue, anthropology was a real possibility, she took an early childhood class and was of course, hooked. She then started taking classes and working in a classroom. She couldn’t get enough of children or knowledge about them.

About this time, she met Chuck through mutual friends. It was several years before they became an item. Marlyn never backed down from a challenge and so she began to mold Chuck into the person he was to become and has become. As they raised the boys together they decided to get married on April, 9, 1977. Youth soccer, camping and Padres baseball kept us busy, but Marlyn always wanted more.

Chuck encouraged her to further pursue her education until she eventually earned her master’s degree in human development. She knew she wanted to make a difference in children’s lives. She of course knew the way to reach the most children, teach the teachers. Thus she began to share her knowledge of appropriate practices in early childhood development. She designed and wrote the curriculum to start the ECE program at Flathead Valley Community College. She also helped facilitate the original concept of an early childhood center on campus. Then she had the resources to shape the minds of those shaping the minds. She was always very proud of all her students, but her ECE students were her true joy.

The outpouring of love and kindness everyone has shown us recently just goes to show us what we already knew, what a truly great person this was. She has literally influenced thousands of lives and will continue to shape the lives of children in the future. We all love you more than you ever would have acknowledged.

She is survived by her family consisting of her husband, Chuck; sons, Scott and his wife Stacey, Kevin; and grandchildren, Kyle, Ian and Emilee.

In lieu of flowers, the family has set up the Marlyn James Scholarship at the Whitefish Credit Union.

There will be a celebration of life on Saturday, July 2 on the FVCC campus, room 139, Arts and Tech Center.