Marilyn J. Dailey's Obituary
Marilyn Jean Dailey, beloved wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother passed away on October 28, 2023 at her home in Charlottesville, Virginia surrounded by the love of her family and friends. She was 92 years old.
Marilyn was born in Toledo, Ohio to Arthur G. Hartman and Luella Beck Hartman on January 10, 1931. The youngest of three children, “Merrily” as she was nicknamed, was an outstanding student and athlete, excelling in golf and swimming as well as water skiing while spending summers at the family’s cottage on Devil’s Lake in Michigan.
She received her Associate of Arts Degree at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri and her Bachelor of Arts Degree in radio and television at Northwestern University where she was a proud member of Pi Beta Phi Sorority. After graduation, she worked in broadcasting at WSPD-TV in Toledo Ohio. In 1961, a local news article on Marilyn quoted her boss as saying “at times she is the only one in the whole studio who knows what’s going on!”
Marilyn met the love of her life, John Turner Dailey, while both were attendants in the wedding of friends. They married on December 1, 1962 in Toledo, Ohio, and Marilyn became a step-mother to son Jay Dailey. Her daughter, Jacqueline Jean, was born in 1965.
John’s corporate work took the family to Chicago, New York City, Beverly Hills, Glenview, Ill and finally Escondido where Marilyn made her home for 36 years. Working alongside John, Marilyn administered the family-owned business in Escondido from 1977 until they retired in 1984.
Together, Marilyn and John were well-known activists in their community. She supported John’s six-year chairmanship of the Escondido Civic Center Committee, which resulted in the dedication of the California Center for the Arts several years after John’s death. Marilyn remained a loyal supporter and frequent attendee at center events while living in Escondido.
Marilyn was a dedicated member of Rotary, a leader on the governing board of the Escondido Chamber of Commerce and a member of the North San Diego County Board of the American Cancer Society.
Marilyn and John also worked tirelessly together in Republican politics, beginning with President Reagan’s election in 1980. Marilyn worked in the Reagan White House during the summer of 1982 while her daughter, Jackie, interned on Capitol Hill. She served as a California co-chair of the George H. W. Bush campaign in 1992 and was a delegate at the 1996 Republican Convention supporting Senator Robert J. Dole’s presidential bid. State Senator William Craven selected Marilyn to be the “Woman of the Year” for the state Senate’s 38th District in 1996. Governor Pete Wilson appointed her to two boards: The Contractors State License Board and the Speech, Pathology and Audiology Examining Committee.
A former Governor Wilson colleague told Jackie, “She was a political mentor to me and so many others. When Republicans ran for Governor, U.S. Senate or President, recruiting your mother to serve as their campaign co-chair was their ticket to election night victory!”
Marilyn’s longest tenure in public service came as a result of her appointment by the mayor to represent Escondido on the San Diego County Water Authority, fighting for California’s most precious resource. Marilyn served on the board from 1999 until 2013 when she moved to Charlottesville to be closer to Jackie. A 2003 North County Times article termed Marilyn “a watchdog for Escondido’s interests in negotiations over Colorado River water.”
Marilyn was a devoted wife for 26 years until John’s untimely death in 1989. She was an incredibly loving, kind and generous mother who was actively involved in Jackie’s school and extracurricular activities. She and Jackie traveled near and far enjoying all sorts of adventures in Europe, Hong Kong, Kenya, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and around the U.S. As a grandmother to Justin Dailey and Jordan Dailey, she often was found at their soccer games, baseball games, chaperoning school field trips or hosting their pool parties at her home.
When Marilyn wasn’t working, she frequently could be spotted on the golf course, having attained two “holes-in-one” in 2000 and again in 2015. She delighted in teaching her grandsons to play with her. Or, you could find her at home cuddling one of the many dogs and cats that gave her a lifetime of love, comfort and companionship. Marilyn had legions of friends with whom she enjoyed spending time whether on the golf course, at bingo night or working together on charitable and political events. She enjoyed drawing, painting and was a talented calligrapher.
Marilyn was a devoted Episcopalian with a deep and abiding faith in the Lord, regularly attending Trinity Episcopal Church in Escondido and more recently Grace Episcopal Church in Keswick, Virginia.
Marilyn is survived by her loving daughter Jackie, her step-son Jay, her daughter-in-law Janey, her grandsons Justin and Jordan (Veronica), four great-grandchildren, two nieces Susan Overman and Marsha Schroeder, and nephew Robert Schroeder.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Arthur and Luella, her sister Maguerite Schroeder, her brother Ed Hartman, and her husband John.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the shelter where Marilyn adopted her cat Missy, The San Diego Humane Society https://www.sdhumane.org/ or the shelter where her granddogs and grandcats were adopted, the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria https://alexandriaanimals.org/
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