SARASOTA, Fla. – Marilyn Munson McFarland, 77, died Sept. 4, 2006, in Sarasota, Fla., after losing her three-year battle with ovarian cancer. She was born March 15, 1929, in Windham, N.Y., the daughter of Donald F. and Florence Newman Munson. She was raised in Windham and graduated as salutatorian from the Windham-Ashland-Jewett High School, Class of 1946. After graduation, “Munsie” attended Becker Junior College in Worcester, Mass., where she received her degree in journalism in 1948 and met her future husband. On June 4, 1949, she married her husband of 57 years, Phillip F. McFarland. Following their marriage, she and her husband moved to the greater Bangor area, where they raised their two children, enjoyed their friends and established their business, Bangor Chrysler Dodge. She served as vice president and director of the company until her death. She and her husband lived in the Bangor area until 1990, when they changed their primary residence to Sarasota, Fla. They continued to spend summers in Maine with family and friends. Munsie was very active in the Maine State Women’s Golf Association. She was a member and former club champion of the Penobscot Valley Country Club, a member and former club champion of the Bardmoor Country Club, Largo, Fla. and was a member of the Women’s Golf Association at the Meadows Country Club, Sarasota, Fla. A life long learner, she also enjoyed photography, traveling, reading, needlecrafts and her computer. She delighted in her grandchildren, family and friends, and had a smile that lifted the spirit of those who loved her. She is survived by her husband, Phillip, of Sarasota, Fla.; her sister and brother-in-law, Gwen and Robert Pearsall of Lady Lake, Fla.; her brother and sister-in-law, Donald and Joann Munson of Bangor; her daughter and son-in-law, Marci and Ted LaLiberty of Wilmington, Del.; her son and daughter-in-law, Phillip M. McFarland and Cheryl Wixson of Bangor; and her grandchildren, Laurel, Emily, Joanna, Natalya and Nikolai. Memorial services will be held 11 a.m. Friday, Sept. 8, at St. James United Methodist Church, Sarasota, Fla. A celebration of her life will be held Sept. 26 at the Penobscot Valley Country Club. Memorial gifts may be made in Marilyn McFarland’s name to the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute Foundation, Inc., 12902 Magnolia Drive, Tampa, FL 33612-9497.
MARILYN MUNSON MCFARLAND
