Marilyn McLachlan of Evart passed away on Thursday, July 4, 2024, at Reed City Corewell Long Term Care, surrounded by her children.

She was born Marilyn Joy Bennett on March 19, 1932, to Edith and George Bennett, and raised by her mother in Livonia. Joy was the perfect middle name to describe what she brought to her friends and family throughout her life. As a teenager, she boarded the train in Livonia and rode to Lake City, where she adored her campers as their counselor. After marrying and moving near Evart, she held positions at the Cadillac Mercy Hospital, the Reed City Hospital, Gardner-Denver Company, and directed the Osceola County Commission on Aging. She was active in community life, serving on the Bennett School school board, leading 4-H groups, participating in Evart community choral groups, and helping founder of the Evart Encores community theater program and the Evart School Band Boosters. After her children were grown, she earned a degree in media technology from Ferris State University, and accepted a position with Edison University near Ft Myers, Florida.

In 1978, she married her husband of 36 years, Archie McLachlan, and the devoted couple split their lives between Ft. Myers and Negaunee Lake and the farm, until retiring to Ft. Myers. There, she served on the Homeowners Association Board, and welcomed family and friends to Florida with open arms. In addition to completing the Bennett family genealogy in the days before computers, she crafted a trip to Scotland where she and Archie visited the ancestral McLachlan castle and met with the current heir. They returned full time to Evart in 2012.

An avid reader and a traveler, Marilyn wrapped her life in both. She read hundreds of books, and supported libraries wherever she went. Her fondest travel memories began with a childhood trip to Washington D.C. with her mother. With her friend, author Pat Leinbaugh, she traveled to Austria to support Pat’s son’s motorcycle racing. As part of her Ferris years, she studied the Southwest, hiking down into the Grand Canyon. She organized trips across the nation to bowling tournaments, traveled not only to Scotland with Archie but throughout Europe and all across America, and instilled a love of travel in her children. After Archie’s passing, she loved to relax by the Muskegon River and listen to its music.

A devoted and supportive mother, she is survived by her children, her grandchildren and their families: Kathy Scott (David Van Burgel) of Norridgewock, Maine and Evart; Karla (Richard) Anderson of Evart and Alan Scott of Ketchikan, Alaska; 13 great grandchildren; her step-children, Chris Comer of Evans, CO, Rosie (Mike) McKinstry of Evart, Cal (Deb) McLachlan of Brighton, CO, Pam (Winston) Cowans of Warren, MI, and Deanna (Dave) Shrum of Clawson, MI; her step-grandchildren and their families, and her step-great grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by: her husband and by her son, Burton Scott Jr.;  granddaughter, Megan Anderson; daughter-in-law, Laurianne Scott; as well as her parents, sisters, and brothers.

A special thanks to the thoughtful staff at Corewell Reed City Long Term Care for four years of warm, skillful care.

Visitation will be held at 11am at Corey Funeral Home in Evart with funeral services beginning at 1pm on Tuesday, July 9th, and conclude with a celebration of life at the Evart Moose Lodge. Donations can be made to the Evart Public Library where a fund has been established in her name.