Please join us in honoring Marylyn M. "Pagie" Fike. Marylyn was born in Sheffield, AL, on April 15, 1923. She was the first child born to Daucy Cletus (Sr.) & Daisy Mae (Plemons) Fike. She was also the first grandchild of the family- the first of the next generation. But the Fikes didn''t stop there for long. Two years later on April 7, 1925, they gave her a brother, Daucy Cletus, Jr. As the eldest child, Uncle Jr. became Marylyn's first charge: she taught him everything she knew. Over the next 11 years she eventually had a total of 6 brothers and sisters to watch over: Helen Inez on 10/15/27, Darrell Marlin on 11/30/29, Juanita Lee on 3/29/32, Donald Ferris on 8/10/34, and James Gary on 9/5/36. As the older sister she was babysitter and second mother to them all.

In her youth, Marylyn was a voracious reader who took a lot of teasing from the rest. She was said to have always had her face in a book, like a "page": and "Pagie" stuck. (If you're like me, you thought that was her name for many years!) Marylyn spent her formative years raising and guiding her siblings while her parents worked to support their large family through the Great Depression. According to Pagie, there were tricks and pranks sprung amongst themselves. She said every one of them could take as good as they could give, so even the roughhousing served to deepen the love they shared through the early part of their journey together.

In 1940, Marylyn graduated from Memphis Tech High School. At that point she set a new course for her life. At a time when women married and became homemakers, she began a career with Walgreen's. Being mature and responsible, she worked in several areas, from her specialty - the camera department - to the "mini" Walgreen's in the lobby of a downtown hotel. She was held in high esteem by her superiors, and as a result was often asked to open new stores or help fix older ones. Among others, she worked in the 43 North Main Street, 1359 Poplar Avenue and 2465 Poplar Avenue locations, before retiring in the late '60's after 27 years of service.

By this time Marylyn had begun to care for her aging parents. For a very brief time, she had shared an apartment with a friend but quickly moved home when needed. It was a seamless transition when she began to assist them as they were getting on in years. In 1970 she coordinated the 50th Wedding Anniversary celebration for her parents Daisy and D.C., that was attended by the ever-growing brood, and enjoyed by us all.

Around this time, she became an Administrative Assistant for University of Tennessee Martin. In this position she welcomed newcomers and helped start them on the right path. Because of her professional nature and dedication, here, too, she became a valued part of the team until retiring around 1990 to care for her ailing mother full-time. Her father, D.C. Sr., had passed away on 2/2/83 leaving Marylyn in charge once more.

Shortly thereafter she and her mother moved in with her youngest brother, James Fike, to share the golden years together. On 7/15/94 her mother Daisy joined her father D.C. in heaven after 63 years of marriage.

In her final years Marilyn and her brother Jim often shared their home with his children and grandchildren, never letting the pitter-patter of little feet far from her care and guidance. Before Jim's passing on 12/1/11, Marylyn took up residence at The Highlands of Memphis Health & Rehab facility. There she took comfort in the visits of loved ones, sharing her favorite memories and the kindness and care extended by The Highlands "family" until her death on 1/2/15.

Never have I seen one person with such single-minded devotion to the care and well-being of her family. Marylyn's selflessness always gave way for her nurturing commitment to us all. And we are all the better for it.

Services will be held at Forest Hills Cemetery, 2440 Whitten Road, Memphis, Tennessee 38133 (901-382-1000). Visitation will begin at 1:00 pm with the service to follow at 2 pm. Any donations in Marylyn Fike's honor may be made to St. Jude's Children''s Research Hospital, or the charity of your choice.