Marilyn Ann Bush-Herrnstein

Marilyn Ann Bush-Herrnstein, age 69, departed this life and entered into her new journey with the lord on March 25th 2026, at 3:59pm peacefully surrounded by loved ones. To those who knew her, she wasn’t just a relative; she was a force of nature— the “best aunt ever” who lived life on her own terms and loved her family with a fierce protective devotion.

Born on May 3rd 1956, in Columbus Ohio Marilyn lived a life that was as colorful as it was kind. In her younger years she sought adventure in Hawaii, a chapter of her life she remembered fondly. Though she was married three times— finding different kinds of companionship throughout her journey— her greatest and most enduring love was to the family she helped raise and who stood by her side.

While Marilyn never had any children of her own, she was a mother at heart to every one of her nieces and nephews. She didn’t just watch them; she raised them, guided them, and occasionally gave them a piece of her mind when they needed it— always with a loving heart.

She was the one you went to for a straight-forward answer or a hearty laugh when you needed it. She was a woman of many words, but her face often spoke the loudest; she was a master of a perfectly timed eye roll and a repertoire of “only-Marilyn” facial expressions that greeted any news she found particularly ridiculous or surprising.

She was a fixture in the community through her long career at Swan Dry Cleaners, where she worked for many years. She was a woman who understood the value of a hard day’s work and the importance to lending a helping hand to anyone in need— though you might get a look and a lecture along with it if you’d made a questionable choice.

Nowhere was her spirit more evident than on a Sunday afternoon. Marilyn was a die-hard fan of the Miami Dolphins, and in her eyes there was only one man who truly understood the game: Dan Marino. Whether the Dolphins were winning or losing, she was their loudest cheerleader (and occasionally their toughest critic), bringing that same “spicy” energy to the garage that she brought to every other part of life.

To sit at Marilyn’s table was to be truly loved. She was a master of big, hearty, homemade meals, believing that a full stomach was the cure for most of life’s problems, a good dinner was the best way to take care of people. She was famously kind, but she wasn’t a pushover. Marilyn had a bit of an attitude that her family loved— a sharp wit and a feisty spirit that made her exactly who she was— honest, loving, and fiercely protective of her own.

Marilyn was preceded in death by her husband James Edward Herrnstein, just this past June. The family finds great comfort in knowing that they are reunited once again after a brief time apart.

She is survived by those she cherished as her own: her great niece Mackenzie Scarberry and husband Tyler Duncan, and their children Enzo and Winnie Duncan; her niece Carrie Scarberry and husband Scott Scarberry; her nephews Alexander Scarberry and Braxton Saunders-Scarberry; her niece Lindsey Jewett and her husband William Earl; her nephew Daniel Huston. She also leaves behind a circle of devoted family friends who provided her with cherished company and support through times of hardship.

In accordance with Marilyn’s wishes, no formal funeral or viewing will be held. Her family will celebrate her life privately, just as she lived— with a hearty meal and a good game on television.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to Mount Carmel Hospice or simply by performing an act of kindness for someone in need— just as Marilyn always did.