Marilyn Walberg of Iowa City, Iowa died May 17, 2019, at age 78 after being treated for metastatic cancer since mid-March. Her final days were spent in the compassionate care of the hospice staff at The Bird House in Iowa City and in the presence of her husband, children, and grandchildren.

Her ashes will be laid to rest later this summer in a private gathering at Rock Island National Cemetery. No funeral or memorial service is currently planned, but the family welcomes visits, calls, and written communications.

Marilyn was born at home on Sept. 1, 1940, the last of eight children born to Fred and Minnie (Frohlich) Bird, who homesteaded a small subsistence farm two miles east of the tiny town of Eagle, Neb. (15 miles east of Lincoln). With no indoor plumbing, a wood-burning stove for heat and cooking, and no electricity for much of her childhood, chores were many and luxuries almost nonexistent--an iconic childhood photo shows her in hand-me-down clothes with the doll that was her only personal toy. It was on the farm that she learned the value of hard work and persistence without complaint ; the importance of being good neighbors; the satisfaction of simple pleasures; the ethic of saving for the future; and the joys of providing more for future generations than you had for yourself.

Marilyn married her high-school sweetheart, Larry Walberg, in 1960, and she spent the next four years as a military wife and insurance secretary while he served in enlisted service at Fort Carson, Colo. During the ensuing 11 years, she anchored the family (now with two children) while they followed Larry's retail career through five towns in three Midwestern states, eventually landing in Iowa City in 1975. Here she put her foot down against any further job transfers and became the "Invoice Queen" at Hawkeye Medical Supply, where she worked until retirement.

After a lifetime of hard work and putting others first, Marilyn and Larry made the most of their somewhat-early retirements. They spent many hours relaxing on their fishing boat and back porch. She also delighted in making friends on bus trips--whether exploring the country on numerous Hills Bank vacation excursions, or while traveling to away games of their beloved Iowa women's basketball team to outcheer the home team.

But Marilyn especially loved her three grandchildren, who gave her a chance to express the childlike joy for play and gifts and silliness that made her true spirit shine. And as they grew they could always count on having the most enthusiastic fan of all in the crowd. Among the gifts she left behind for them are numerous quilts that she lovingly sewed by hand, and in the end her only real disappointments  were not getting to see their adult lives unfold and especially not being a great-grandmother to their children (being pretty sure that she'd be a really good one).

She is survived by husband Larry Walberg; son Jeff Walberg (Kara Beauchamp) of Mount Vernon; daughter Jeni Lewis of Iowa City; three grandchildren: Kai Walberg, Maddy Lewis, and Derek Lewis; two sisters: Doris Sturtz of Des Moines, and Nadine (Earl) Schmidt of Apple Valley, Calif.; and numerous nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be directed to The Bird House - Hospice Home of Johnson County.