Marilyn Kay (Hewitt) Hensley, 81 of Ozark, MO

Marilyn Kay (Hewitt) Hensley, 81 of Ozark, MO passed away peacefully on Saturday, February 19, 2022 in Ozark, MO. A graveside service will be held at Highland Cemetery in Medicine Lodge, Kansas at a later date.

Marilyn Kay (Hewitt) Hensley was born on Wednesday, April 10 1940 in Wichita, KS, to I.N. (“Jibo”) Hewitt and Bess (Harbaugh) Hewitt. She was raised in Medicine Lodge, Kansas. There she participated in many activities throughout her school years and enjoyed several close friendships, graduating from high school in 1958.

Marilyn married Oral Dean (“Gus”) Hensley, also of Medicine Lodge, in 1959; In 1960, Marilyn spent the summer in Boulder, CO, while Gus was finishing his Master’s Degree. She hurried home in mid-August so their daughter Elizabeth (“Liz”) Jo could be born in Medicine Lodge. A few years later, Marilyn graduated from cosmetology school and opened a beauty salon in her home in order to be a stay-at-home mom. Marilyn was also an accomplished seamstress and cook. Later in life, she took art classes and excelled in this new pursuit.

As a result of multiple happy visits during her childhood to Colorado with her parents and older sister Dorothy — and her summer in Boulder — she wanted to someday live in the Rocky Mountains. She moved to Greeley to be a sorority mother for one year. Marilyn then moved to Estes Park and worked for the Merkley State Farm agency. With Liz also in Estes Park, these were some of Marilyn’s happiest years. Liz married Jeff Turner, and grandson Jeffrey was born in 1991. The Turners moved to Forsyth, MO in 1991. Unable to bear being apart from her beloved daughter and family, Marilyn moved to nearby Branson a few months later and was happy to be near Jeffrey, her “pride and joy”!

Marilyn was a lifelong member of the United Methodist Church (UMC) and especially enjoyed being in the UMC choirs in both Medicine Lodge and Estes Park. Marilyn also helped a Vacation Bible School get started at the Estes Park UMC.

Marilyn is survived by her daughter Liz and her husband, Jeff Turner and grandson Jeffrey Turner of Forsyth, MO; sister, Dorothy and husband, Gary Parker of Burlington, KS; and their children, Julie Jones of Park City, Utah, Amy Bradley of Lawrence, KS, and Bill Parker of New Strawn, KS.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the United Methodist Church of Medicine Lodge (108 E. 2nd Avenue, 67104) or to further Parksinson’s Disease research by donating to the Michael J. Fox Foundation (https://www.michaeljfox.org/).