Age 77, of Farmington.


Private family services with burial at Oakland Hills Memorial Gardens in Novi, Michigan.

Marilyn Williams passed away peacefully on December 25, 2008. The angels accompanied her on this Christmas morning to her resting place after a long illness. Her recent past was spent in a nursing home, however, that does not reflect her spirit towards life or her accomplishments.

One of Marilyn's most famous expressions was "Too bad, so sad." She spoke these words to convey an attitude that every person in besieged with hard and sorrowful times in their life, but it should not be used as an excuse to stop trying or to give up. Marilyn applied this same expectation to herself when she went back to school as an adult and earned her Associates degree at Schoolcraft College in Health Information Technology. She worked in the Medical Record Department at Hutzel Hospital and then became Utilization Review Specialist at the Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan (RIM). It is in this last role that Marilyn worked for many years with the physicians and insurance carriers to ensure that the patients received the care they needed. Marilyn did not stand for the physicians slacking off on their documentation or the patients staying after they reached their rehab goals. At the end of a day, her hair would be frazzled and her lab coat pockets empty of all the special stickers with instruction of what was necessary to keep a patient another day, week, or month as they completed their rehab program.

Marilyn cultivated a great rapport with the insurance companies by melding their language with that of rehab medicine. It was a rare case that slipped by her where an insurance company denied payment or a patient was discharged before they were ready. She believed in doing her part to give every patient the tools they needed to live a quality life.

Marilyn had two hip replacement surgeries of her own during her tenure with RIM. She went kicking and screaming to have the necessary surgeries, not wanting to leave her job to anyone else. She always returned, driving a motorized scooter through the hallways with a special hat and horn to alert staff and patients, lest they get run over. Marilyn retired after age 70 and would have stayed at RIM forever.

Besides working, Marilyn enjoyed her home in Redford. She was very proud that it was paid for and took great pleasure in her bent grass and large backyard. Every spring, she planted beautiful gardens and was known for passing on special plants to her friends to share her enjoyment. She liked to travel and demonstrated courage once again, by going on cruises to Alaska and other places by herself. After her retirement, she also attended many continuing education programs at Schoolcraft Community College.

Marilyn is survived by her sons Mark and Eric. She was very much loved and respected by her friends and colleagues for her humor, self preservation, perseverance, tough-love, and work ethic.