Mrs. Marilyn Cook Guffey passed peacefully at the age of 94 surrounded by her loving children on Friday morning, April 14th, 2023. Marilyn was the daughter of the late Rev. Ottis and Vassie Towery Cook. She was the oldest of six children. As the daughter of a pastor, the family lived in many towns, which sparked her love of travel. She became especially fond of the city of Hickory. It was here she met many lifelong friends and pursued an education at a secretarial school, while working in the furniture industry to support her ambitions. Her love of travel was further ignited when she moved to Florida with her family for a few years. Life brought her back to North Carolina where she met her future husband, Dexter A. Guffey of Golden Valley, NC. After a period of courtship, and a lot of begging, the two were married on July 8th, 1955. They started their lives together and quickly expanded their family of two to a family of seven. During these years, Marilyn also worked for several Companies in the textile industry. After thirty years of blissful marriage, she began to navigate her lifestyle as a widow and caregiver for her mother. She seized this opportunity to gain experiences traveling across 46 States within the U.S. with some of her fondest traveling companions for decades. She also put her green thumb to work as a master gardener, providing a scenic view for all that visited. Retirement could not hold her back, as she found many opportunities to keep herself fulfilled including working alongside her siblings at a family business until the age of 88. Perhaps her most fulfilling role would be that of “Grandma” to nine Grandchildren and “Grammy” to five great Grandchildren.

Marilyn was preceded in death by her loving parents, her adoring husband, two sisters- Betty Willis and Margaret Brackett and one brother, Rev. Kenneth Cook. She is survived by her sister Martha Houser, brother Butch Cook (Catherine), five extraordinary children- Chris Guffey (Linda), Sherry Molella (Stephen), Linda Elyasian (Ahmad), Vicki Kelley (Rick), Sonya Tomaro (Jim), nine Grandchildren- Jordan Elyasian, Jessica Chatham (Richard), Lindsey Evans (Ben), Alexandra Byrnes (Rory), Ethan Elyasian, Blake Guffey (Paige), Olivia Molella, Amon and Ava Tomaro, five great-Grandchildren- Mason and Graham Evans, Ryker and Roman Chatham, Declan Byrnes- with her sixth on the way. Additionally, she is survived by a large extended family who also mourn her loss.

The family would like to extend much gratitude to Hospice of Cleveland County for their exceptional care in her final year of life and to her great-niece, Jamie Varner for her excellent in-home care. For those who would like to honor Marilyn’s life through donations, contributions can be made to Hospice of Cleveland County.

The family will receive friends on Sunday, April 16, 2023, from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Stamey-Tysinger Funeral Home, Fallston.

The funeral service will be held on Monday, April 17, 2023, at 11:00 AM at Morris Memorial Baptist Church, Casar, with the Dr. Chris Emory officiating. Mrs. Guffey will be placed in the church thirty minutes before the service.

The burial will follow in the church cemetery.

A guest register is available at www.stameytysingerfuneralhome.com.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Stamey-Tysinger Funeral Home & Cremation Center, Inc., Fallston, NC.