Marilyn Taggart, generous, loving soul
Marilyn Taggart passed away Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023, after a fall.
Whirling dervish Marilyn was voted most likely to randomly appear at your door gifting half a Chick-fil-A sandwich (having eaten the other half), or some other delightful treat you never knew you had a craving for. She liked to bring nearby construction workers homemade soup or leave little snacks in their trucks for their drive home. She was known for gifting the oddest thing she could find in the thrift shop; think porcelain nurse doll holding a tray of syringes, or a creepy clown head rotating by its neck on a wind-up music box to "Send in the Clowns."
Marilyn’s generosity was as boundless as her love of people, as limitless as her energy and her joie de vivre. She was smart, fun, loving and devoted. She never met a stranger, because somehow strangers were inspired to share their life stories with her. She made friends with people of all age groups, lifestyles and nationalities. She loved people, and she was adored by all who met her.
Marilyn is survived by her daughters, Hilary Giffin (Dan), and Cassie Taggart (Richard Rice); her grandchildren, Liam and Lindsey Giffin; and her many beloved friends. She also leaves behind her cherished mustachioed cat, Max.
Marilyn Harris Taggart was born in 1935 and grew up in Delaware, Ohio. She reminisced often about her idyllic childhood and adolescence near the banks of the Olentangy River. She graduated from Hyatts High School in 1953.
Marilyn worked her way through college and eventually graduated with a master’s degree from Ohio State.
She married John Taggart and moved to New York City, where Marilyn taught nursery school and wood shop at First Presbyterian Church. They had two daughters, Hilary and Cassie, who they raised in Manhattan. In the 1960s, they purchased a beach house at Seastrand community in Rehoboth. Marilyn loved spending her summers there and made many lifelong friends, who became like family to her.
After 23 years of marriage, Marilyn and Jack divorced. She soon after met Hank Quintero, the love of her life, and moved to Potomac, Md. As a couple, they spent as much time as possible in Rehoboth Beach. They had great fun together, and cherished their time with family and friends.
After 33 years together, she lost her beloved Hank in 2018. Eventually, she decided to make Delaware her permanent home, and she moved to Milton.
Services will be private.
Final care has been entrusted to Parsell Funeral Homes & Crematorium, Atkins-Lodge Chapel, Lewes.
Visit Marilyn’s Life Memorial webpage and sign her virtual guestbook at parsellfuneralhomes.com.
