Marilyn Esther Case Sutcliffe

SUTCLIFFE, Marilyn Esther Case - Age 87. June 1, 2023.

Marilyn was born April 20th, 1936, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts to Warren Evans DeWitt Case and wife Esther Mary (Snow). Marilyn graduated with honors from Pittsfield High School in 1953. She completed her BA at the University of Bridgeport in 1957. As a Fulbright Scholar, Marilyn attended the Sorbonne where she studied marine biology. While in Paris, she met her future husband, William (Bill) Sutcliffe, on a blind date while he was on leave from his Army base in Regensburg. Upon returning from France, Marilyn studied for her Master of Zoology from Duke University.

Marilyn is survived by son James (Cara), daughter Stacy Matthews (Andrew), grandsons Dylan and Cian Sutcliffe, sisters Judith-Anne Leach and Susan Case, niece Cynthia Eksuzian and nephews Mark, Robert, Ross and Glenn Leach. She was predeceased by her parents, Bill, her husband of over 50 years, and brother-in-law James Leach.

Marilyn was intensely curious about the natural world from an early age and shared her knowledge and love with others. She taught elementary school in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and was a staff scientist at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee. In her retirement she traveled extensively with Bill, enjoying many journeys, including to Australia, the UK, Europe, and Central and South America. Marilyn, an avid gardener, was a long-time member of the Bellevue Garden Club, an active member of the Oak Hill Garden Club, the Horticulture Society of Middle Tennessee, Cheekwood, and the Tennessee Federation of Garden Clubs as well as serving as a Certified National Garden Club, Inc, Judge. A master gardener, her work was exhibited in shows throughout the region. Her personal garden was featured twice on Nashville Public Television’s Volunteer Gardener, most recently on her birthday in 2023.

She was a voracious reader and lover of golf and tennis. Marilyn deepened her interest in American history through her memberships in the Daughters of the American Revolution and the General Society of Mayflower Descendants. Marilyn nurtured her spirituality through studies at the Sophia Foundation of North America, the Vesica Institute, and the Sancta Sophia Seminary and freely shared what she learned with others, especially her fellow Nashville Rudolf Steiner Group members, who held a remembrance on June 6, 2023. She was also a founding member of the Christian Community Church in Nashville. A private, family service is planned.

A donation may be made in Marilyn’s name to the Nashville Humane Association, the horticultural charity of the donor’s choice, or the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee (Hohenwald).