Marilyn Leda Warner

Marilyn passed away peacefully at home on May 3, 2021, surrounded by family. Marilyn Leda Pellegrini was born July 23, 1932 in Sacramento to Enso Pellegrini and Erna Frank. She was the middle of three children, including older sister Thea and younger brother Frank. Marilyn graduated Sacred Heart School and St. Joseph High School, before meeting and falling in love with her future husband Donald while attending Sacramento City College. After marrying in 1953, Mom and Dad proceeded to have 5 children, including Glenn, Paul, Robert, Lynn and John, born 1957, 1959, 1961, 1967 and 1970 respectively. The early family travel adventures included annual road trip vacations requiring ultra-efficient packaging of all 5 kids and gear into the family station wagon to go camping in a National Park or to visit extended Family. The family lived in Rancho Cordova until 1971, then moved to Concord in support of Don’s new position as Branch Manager-Barclay’s Bank. The family subsequently moved to Carmichael in 1976, where Marilyn resided for the rest of her life. Marilyn’s career included several significant jobs with school districts in Sacramento and Concord, followed by a long stint at SMUD, where she worked as a dispatcher for 16 years, up until her retirement in 1994. Mom and Dad filled the early years of their retirement with several major trips, visiting the Pyramids in Egypt, along with Jerusalem, Turkey and Rome. She was preceded in death by her husband of 48 years, Donald, who passed away in March 2001. Later in life, Mom expanded her travels to include multiple bucket list destinations, including many more European countries, most notably Italy-which was her favorite. She discovered the joys of cruise ship travel and became a frequent cruiser. She enjoyed many cruises with various family members. Mom loved the cruise ship experience- the gourmet food and wonderful entertainers! Her advice was, “Life’s uncertain, eat dessert first.” Marilyn was the most loving Wife, Mother, and Grandmother anyone could ask for. Mom was always eager to babysit her grandchildren and maintained an active presence in all her children and grandchildren's lives up until her death. A special and heartfelt thank you to our Caregiver Laura for extending Mom’s excellent memories during the last 2 years. All who lives who were touched by Marilyn are encouraged to contribute their observations. Please make your postings at the Tribute Wall portion of this website. Note that flowers for the family are not necessary. Marilyn's funeral mass will be held at StMel'sChurch in Fair Oaks on Thursday June 3rd. The rosary service will start at 12:30pm, followed by the funeral mass at 1pm. A reception will follow at the family home.