July 18, 1930 – August 20, 2025
Marilyn Lucille Schiller, 95, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, August 20, 2025, at Hospice Alliance House in Pleasant Prairie after a long illness.
Born in Kenosha on July 18, 1930, she was the daughter of the late Oral and Esther (Larsen) Congdon, Sr. She was a lifelong resident of Kenosha, educated in local schools and a 1948 graduate of Mary D. Bradford High School, graduating second in her class. She graduated from the Kenosha College of Commerce in 1949.
On June 14, 1952, she was united in marriage with Edward H. Schiller at First Presbyterian Church in Kenosha. They were happily married for 73 years. Ed was the love of her life, and the two of them were inseparable. They raised two children with a strong foundation of self-responsibility and integrity. Marilyn was a devoted, loving, and supportive wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.
Marilyn worked at Quaker Stretcher, Lepp’s, Great Lakes Naval Office, Chicago Northwestern Railroad, Manpower, Andrew’s Lumber, and finally at Frank L. Wells Company in the engineering department for 30 years before retiring.
While a lifelong member of First Presbyterian Church in Kenosha, Marilyn was an active member and volunteer. Marilyn was a past officer of Order Eastern Star Chapter 92, past president of J.U.S., and past vice-president and marshal of Danish Sisterhood Lodge 20. She was an advisory board member and site representative at Parkside Baptist Church for the Kenosha Area Family and Aging Services.
Marilyn was an avid bridge and pinochle player and a member of several bridge and round-robin groups. At the age of 15, she bowled 605, putting her on the national honor roll. She enjoyed traveling, shopping for clothes and jewelry, going to the hairdresser’s weekly, cooking wonderful holiday dinners, dancing, and spending time with family and friends.
Marilyn will forever be remembered by her very loving and devoted husband, Edward Schiller; her daughter, Carolyn (Thomas, Jr.) Van Beckum of Mt. Pleasant, her son Craig (Hope) Schiller of Kenosha; her four grandchildren, Kimberly Schiller (Jeff Capps), Thomas (Sarah) Van Beckum, III, Michael (Adilen) Van Beckum and Lauren (Jack) Peterson; her six great-grandchildren, Emerson, Charles, Madeline, Gage, Sophia and Cameron; and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Oral Congdon, Jr.
Marilyn will be remembered for her love and devotion to her family. She will be dearly missed but never forgotten by all who knew and loved her.
In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations in memory of Marilyn to the American Diabetes Association https://diabetes.org or to First Presbyterian Church, 1803 83rd St., Kenosha, WI 53143 https://www.kenoshafpc.org.
