MORRIS - Marilyn Whitney Crumb, loving and devoted mother, grandmother, and friend to all whose lives she touched, passed away peacefully at her home in Morris, on Monday, March 11, 2024.

Marilyn was born in Parshall Hospital, Oneonta, on May 17, 1928, the eldest of M. Ruth Jones Whitney and Irving F. Whitney's three children.

Marilyn graduated from Oneonta High School in 1946 and earned bachelor's and master's degrees in teaching home economics from SUNY Plattsburgh and SUNY Oneonta.

She moved to Morris in 1950 to start her teaching career where she met her future husband, Harold Crumb. They were married Dec. 22, 1951, in the First Baptist Church of Oneonta and settled in Morris.

At the time of her death, Marilyn was the longest living member of the Morris United Methodist Church, where she had been a member of the Chancel Guild and rarely missed a service.

She taught home economics initially and later became the first health teacher at Morris Central School. One of her former students said that Marilyn taught many what was, 'complete and proper:' how to cook, bake, preserve, clean, sew, manage a household budget, set a table, and decorate a home beautifully. She and Harold put on many wonderful dinners and parties for family and friends, making it all look effortless.

She loved to play bridge, was an avid gardener (both vegetable and flower) and was a regular participant in and supporter of the many art classes offered by the Butternut Valley Arts Center.

She was quick to volunteer to help others and canvassed annually for the Morris Library Fund and American Cancer Society. Marilyn was known for her daily walks around Morris where she dearly hoped to meet and have a chat with her fellow Morrisanians.

She loved to travel (both foreign and domestic) and was so pleased when a trip to Hawaii in 2003 completed her visitation to all 50 states. Most of all, she loved her family, both immediate and extended, her many, many friends and her community.

She was predeceased by her husband Harold after 50 years of marriage; and younger brother, Roger Whitney.

Marilyn is survived by her son, Leonard Crumb, Carlisle, Pennsylvania; granddaughter, Lauren (Stewart) Huntoon, West Point; great-grandson, James Huntoon; daughter, Rebecca Crumb (James Tremlett), Morris and New York City; son and daughter-in-law, Daniel and Shari Crumb, Sedalia, Colorado; granddaughters, Elizabeth Crumb, Salt Lake City; and Katherine (Mackenzie Davis) Crumb; and great-granddaughter, Addison Davis, Parker, Colorado; sister, Betty Jane (John) Ratcliffe, Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, and their children, John (Renee) Ratcliffe III, Darren (Rebecca Gordon) Ratcliffe and Michelle (Jeremy) Hammons; and seven great-nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held later in the spring/summer at United Methodist Church in Morris.

In lieu of flowers, friends are asked to make contributions in memory of Marilyn to the Morris United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 246, Morris, NY 13808, or Morris Fire Department, P.O. Box 93, Morris, NY 13808.

Funeral arrangements are by the Johnston & Stanimer Funeral Home, Morris, NY.

Share online condolences at www.johnstonfh.com.