Marilyn Brinkerhoff

Marilyn Brinkerhoff

St. George/Panguitch

The mother of all mothers- packed with personality and wit, fun to talk to and joke around with, and always bringing joy wherever she was-Marilyn Pitman Brinkerhoff, passed on to her next estate on August 17, 2020 in St. George. She was the mother of 12, grandmother to 40, great-grandmother to 20, and a loving friend to countless others. Her love knew no bounds. Hers was a life of service, the face of selflessness. She was very friendly, sometimes even dialing the wrong phone number and ending up with a new friend.

Marilyn was born May 27, 1938 in Idaho to Forest Hudson and Hazel Audrey Myrum Pitman. Prior to starting her family, Marilyn graduated from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor’s Degree in elementary education. While there, she met her eternal sweetheart Kendell W Brinkerhoff. They were married and sealed in the Mesa AZ Temple for time and all eternity on December 29, 1960. They were together for 54 years prior to Kendell’s passing on February 26, 2015. Together, they would always make the effort to attend each child’s sporting event and recital, constantly showing support and love for each one.

Marilyn managed her big and growing family while her husband Kendell was serving in busy church callings as bishop and in the stake presidency, taking care of things while he was often gone. They were not rich in things of the world. For example, during Christmas the children were happy to get an apple and orange in their Christmas stocking, along with some unshelled peanuts. Instead, they were wealthy in the form of a large family that continues to grow to this day. Marilyn was excellent at budgeting, and was able to feed her large family despite the small monthly food budget. She knew how to stretch a pound of hamburger to feed the large clan. The big family also meant doing at least four loads of laundry daily, folded and put away- and imagine this back in the days of cloth diapers!

If I could be done by hand she would. This meant sewing all of her children’s school clothes, each of her grandchildren’s blessing dresses and tuxedos, even sewing the tent for the home made tent trailer that Kendell had built for the occasional family camping trip. Other hobbies of Marilyn’s included painting, often depicting things such as temples and the Utah scenery she was so fond of.

Running the family farm kept the whole family busy, and Marilyn was no exception. She helped manage the farm and it’s green houses, large gardens, milk cows, chickens, and an occasional pig and horse all while raising the children. She taught each child the importance of work, how to plant seeds and reap what you sow- both literally and metaphorically. She instilled in her children a sense of pride in their work.

With the heavy workload, she still was able to make each child feel special. On each of their birthdays, they got to choose what meal to have her cook for them, and would make their favorite dessert. She always found a way to make the children feel loved.

Kendell and Marilyn served as managing directors over the Garfield County Family History Center in Panguitch for several years. She faithfully served all her life in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Her testimony being one of her greatest strengths. She and Kendell served a full-time mission together in New Zealand after retirement, bringing many to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Kendell and Marilyn served as patrons and temple workers in the St. George Temple for several years before Kendell’s passing in 2015.

She is survived by her children from oldest to youngest: Clayton Brinkerhoff (Tammy Jones) St. George; Lynell Barney (Robert Barney) Beaver; Beth Brewster (Chad Brewster), Panguitch; Nathan Brinkerhoff (Janet Bracken) St. George; Quinn Brinkerhoff (Teri-Rose Bernardo) St. George, UT; Amy Brinkerhoff, deceased; Aaron Brinkerhoff, Saratoga Springs; Ryan Brinkerhoff (Charisma Bacosa) Pleasant Grove; Lloyd Brinkerhoff (Kim Oldham) Panguitch; Elliot Brinkerhoff (Kami Hansen) Saratoga Springs; Chad Brinkerhoff (Nyree Pitcher) Ephraim; Rebecca Brinkerhoff Ivory- Phoenix, AZ. Preceded in death by her parents; half-siblings, Sherry and Jack.

Graveside services will be Saturday, August 22, 2020 at the Panguitch Cemetery, 11:00 am. Funeral Directors: Magleby Mortuary, Richfield, Salina and Manti. Online guestbook at www.maglebymortuary.com