Marilyn Boynton

1930 ~ July 13, 2015
Marilyn Boynton died on July 13, 2015, of complications arising from late onset diabetes. Her departure leaves an emptiness against the sky, as when a grand old oak has fallen.
Marilyn deeply loved living things and being out in wildness, as a child and all through her life. She was a huge champion of the voiceless and the marginalized. She spoke for the earth and its creatures, from sage grouse to prairie dogs, to wild rivers and canyons.
Born in 1930 in San Angelo, TX, Marilyn pursued many fields of study, including music at University of North Texas in Denton and SMU in Dallas (she played cello, piano and pipe organ); English literature and Jungian studies at the University of Colorado; and geology at Mesa State in Grand Junction.
Her professions ranged from editing and writing to driving a taxicab in Denver, the job that in some ways she found the most satisfying. More recently, she has been writing for the Four Corners Free Press, and her latest editorial letter appeared only a week ago.
Since making her home in Utah, she was deeply involved in local government in San Juan County, where her presence at weekly commission meetings will be greatly missed.
Bruce Adams, county commissioner, told her daughter, “I have never known a spirit like Marilyn’s.”
Marilyn also acted on behalf of justice for people. When the polling place was closed on the Navajo reservation -- a move that would have harmed the Navajos’ participation in voting -- she spearheaded its reinstatement.
Years ago in Denver, she took young girls from an orphanage on day trips into the high mountains nearby.
As a mother and the best of companions, Marilyn shared adventure and an amazing diversity of experiences with her kids and her friends.
She taught us how to love nature starting with early rescues of spiders, backpacking in the high mountains of Colorado, learning music and languages, and reading books that open new worlds.
She instilled a joy in refinement and excellence, along with an unswerving integrity.
Marilyn is survived by four children -- Kelly Burke, Lisa Moore, Brandon Moore, and Narca Moore-Craig; three grandchildren -- Hollin Moore, Kenzie Moore and Torin Moore; one great grandson, Milo Stafford; son-in-law Alan Craig; and lifelong climbing partner Donna Nelson.
The family has given her a green burial at the old cemetery in Lake City, Colorado, a place entwined in the family’s history and hearts.