Marilyn O. Pickett

Marilyn Oliver Pickett was born at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland on September 15, 196. Her mother, Marye Thompson Oliver was a teacher in the Baltimore City School System. Her father, John J. Oliver, Sr. was a life long employee (and at the time of his retirement the president) of the AFRO- American Newspapers. On May 3, 2012, Marilyn succumbed to a variety of protracted illnesses. Marilyn was a graduate of the John Eager Howard Elementary School #61, the Robert E. Lee #49 Accelerated Junior High School, and Eastern High School, all located in Baltimore. During this time she was a member of Brownie and Girl Scout Troops based at School #112 in Baltimore. Marilyn was a participant in a plethora of social organizations including: The Stork Club, and jack & Jill of America. In 1959 while in Junior High School, she joined a group of her acquaintances to form a club called Beaucoup de Mesdemoiselles. Her bond of friendship with these women turned out to be a source of enjoyment and support for the rest of Marilyn’s life. Throughout her childhood, Marilyn enjoyed a series of musical extra-curricular activities. She was a student of the Gwendolyn Biddle Dance School during part of her elementary and junior high school years. Additionally, she enjoyed playing the piano, as a result of being taught at an early age by the AFRO music columnist, Ada K. Jenkins. While in junior high school, Marilyn was also a student at the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore. Her proficiency on the piano often resulted in Marilyn providing the musical background at various family gatherings together with her cousin Barbara Prestwidge who she often joined in playful piano duets. In 1964, Marilyn was presented as a debutante at the prestigious Me-Do So Club Cotillion. Marilyn received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1967. She later earned a Master’s in Sociology from Howard University. Marilyn was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated and for many years she was a member of the Board of Directors of the AFRO-American Newspapers. For 16 years Marilyn served as a technical information specialist and public health advisor at the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Washington D.C. During her tenure she contributed research and co-authored an analysis of some experiences of children of Black imprisoned mothers. In 1973 Marilyn married the love of her life, Limie Pickett in a wedding ceremony at the Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church, the church where her mother and father were married 36 years earlier. The unbounded love and support Limie Pickett provided Marilyn throughout their marriage permitted her to address many of the health obstacles she was to confront. As a result of Marilyn’s health deterioration, she ended her career at NIH under a health dispensation in 1997. Since 2009, Marilyn primarily resided at the Randolph Hills Nursing Center in Wheaton, MD, where the excellent staff assisted her in a protracted course of rehabilitation. She was a vigorous participant in the weekly bingo matches and looked forward to the church services held every Sunday in the nursing home’s lobby. Her smile and glowing personality made her a favorite with the whole staff. In spite of the many health obstacles Marilyn faced over the past years, her indefatigable spirit was a constant inspiration to her family and friends. It is this and other memories that her remaining family members and friends will cherish. Marilyn is survived by her husband, Limie Pickett; son, John Pickett; brother, John J. (Jake) Oliver Jr.; aunt, Myrtle Thompson Koger and a host of cousins.

Tributes

Marilyn O. Pickett

September 15, 1946 - May 3, 2012