Sacramento, CA, California - Marilyn Rita Pelletier (aka Klein) passed away on July 30, 2026 at the age 104 years and 9 months in a board-and-care facility in Sacramento, California. Born as "Rita" Pelletier on November 24, 1921, in St. Francis, Maine, Marilyn's tenacious and curious spirit reflected her childhood farm life in the Saint John Valley.

When the family patriarch died at age 47 in 1940, Marilyn and her sisters, Gerry and Gizz, left home to support themselves. The departure turned into a 9-year adventure, starting out in Lake Placid, New York where she became an accomplished ice skater, skier, and tennis player. Marilyn's strong work ethic and economic frugality allowed her to remain a single woman into her early-30s when doing so was unfashionable. Marilyn migrated to Southern California in 1950 where she was a "Poppy Girl" for the Rosebowl parade. She received a degree in physical therapy from Loma Linda University in the 1949, and she spent the next decade caring for victims of the 1940s polio epidemic. Marilyn married William Hugh Klein (1928 - 2006) in 1954, followed by the birth of her two children, Norma Jean and William Hugh II (aka Billy). After several cross country moves the family settled in North Ogden, Utah in 1963. At that time Marilyn acquired our beloved and carefully tendered horses - Sioux, QB, and the infamous, nobody-knows-how-old-she-is, Tussy. Marilyn earned an ADN in nursing from Weber State College (1973) and subsequently traveled the Intermountain West as a nursing home consultant. In 1978, her husband's career prompted a moved to Davis, California, where she thrived for another 47 years in the university community. Marilyn dove into philanthropic missions in several countries while she was in her 60s, 70s, and even 80s, leading her to Africa, South America, and Mexico. Until she was in her late-80s, she swam daily at the Davis Athletic club where she excelled in the butterfly stroke. From the birth year of her only grandchild in 1996 to 2024, she spent every Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday with her core family, Norma, Winston, and Caleb; and the cherished family dogs, Pete and Olive.

Marilyn is survived by her daughter, Norma Klein, MD (Winston Eddy, MD); her son, William H Klein Jr.; and her grandson, Lt. 1 Caleb W. Eddy, USMC.

Donations may be made on her behalf to the Legal Assistance to the Elderly, 1663 Mission St., Suite 225, San Francisco, CA, 94103. aesf.org