Marilyn Nadine Neeley Martin

December 9, 1929 - June 17, 2021

Marilyn Nadine Neeley Martin passed away peacefully at home in Hampton, Virginia on June 17, 2021. She was 91 years old. A celebration of her life will be held on Wednesday, November 17, 2021 at 3:00 pm in the Old Post Chapel at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall (formerly Ft. Myer, VA), followed by burial at Arlington National Cemetery. (Rev. David Nesselrodt and Rev. Dave Norman will be officiating.) This extraordinary woman was born on December 9, 1929 (although her birth certificate mistakenly recorded her birth date as November) in Lanett, Alabama, but she spent most of the first 18 years of her life in her father’s hometown of Columbia, South Carolina. Known as Marilyn to most; Nadine to some, she was preceded in death by her husband of 72 years, Chaplain (COL) William A. Martin (US Army, Retired); her parents, Theodore and Leota (Lacey) Neeley; her granddaughter, Terrah Nadine Martin Broy, and her sister, Peggy Rabon. Marilyn is survived by her son, Commander (USN) Greg (Bea) Martin; her daughter, Rev. Candee Martin; her grandchildren: Tamrah Martin, Matthew (Chanel) Martin, Dustin (Cricket) Martin, and Brianna Martin; her great-grandchildren: Emily Mullins, Shandon Martin, Landon Martin, Da’Marko Porter, Z’amir Hensler, Ilah Martin, and Dawson Martin, as well as her sister, Sandra Miller. Marilyn loved her relatives deeply and was devoted to them, but she did not limit her understanding of family to relatives. Having spent three decades of her life as an Army wife, she called so many different places home: Virginia, Germany, Kentucky, Tennessee, New York, New Jersey, Alaska, North Carolina, Kansas, Georgia, and Florida. All along her life’s journey, her “family” expanded. So many people at Army posts and in local communities around the world, and in Ashburn, Virginia, where she spent the majority of her retirement years, were blessed by her extravagant love and hospitality. Marilyn loved people, music, traveling, fashion, candles and coffee! She always had a stack of records playing her favorite artists: Andy Williams, Nat King Cole, Tony Bennett, Johnny Mathis to name a few; she loved going to their concerts. She loved the theatre and shopping; the Kennedy Center, Ford’s Theatre, NYC’s Broadway and Fifth Avenue. She was extravagant with her love, her kindness, her caring and compassion, and was always making time to listen to others share their stories. She was known for her gourmet cooking, engaging conversation, and the most elaborate dinner parties. They were pure magic! Anyone who has ever been welcomed into her home knows how warm and loving, gracious and generous she was. If you ever had the privilege of sitting at her table and being loved by her, you understand. She gave of herself to others effortlessly. It wasn’t what she did; it was simply who she was. Because all are welcomed at Christ's table, all were always loved and welcomed at her table and into her ever-expanding family. There was always room for one more. It didn't matter your race, religion or nationality, your sexual orientation, your economic status, whether you were an officer or an enlisted person, or your age. With each passing year, her friends grew younger and younger. Her body aged, but her spirit never did. While she wasn’t a rebel by nature, neither was she above breaking the rules when she felt led to do so, like daring to bring the wife of an enlisted soldier into the Officers (only) Club for lunch! Marilyn gave of herself in so many ways: singing in the chapel choirs, leading a chapel youth group, visiting and singing in prisons, creating supportive communities for Army wives, volunteering at a children’s hospital and in a substance abuse rehabilitation center for soldiers, caring for grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Marilyn believed that God created humanity in great diversity; and that diversity was God's gift and blessing to be loved, cherished, and celebrated and that is the way she chose to live each day of her life. The lyrics of the old Nat King Cole song Nature Boy speak so poignantly about how Marilyn lived her life, “The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.”