Marilyn Villano

Marilyn Mooney Villano passed away April 13, 2023, at the age of 80. She was born on July 28, 1942, in New Orleans, Louisiana to Sara (Taty) and General H.K. Mooney (Popo).  Marilyn is survived by her five children, Susan (Clay), Ed, Carol (Devin), James, and David, and nine grandchildren.  She is preceded in death by her parents and her husband General Salvatore Villano Jr (August 2022). She attended Colorado State University (CSU) and belonged to the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. She met her sweetheart Salvatore Villano Jr at CSU, and they were married on June 29, 1963. She graduated CSU with a degree in occupational therapy in 1964, and obtained a second degree in nursing in 1993.

As an only child, Marilyn loved books and spent much time reading. As a Girl Scout, she fell in love with nature at summer camps, and took delight in the water and learned to canoe, an activity she continued into adulthood. Her family traveled widely, owing to various assignments her father had as an Air Force officer, including three years living in Madrid, Spain, where she attended and graduated from high school. In addition to her role as a full-time mother (and grandmother), Marilyn held a number of part-time jobs: nurse practitioner, real estate agent, aquatics class instructor, and doTERRA essential oils distributor. She also helped Sal with his work for the Forgotten Heroes Campaign.

Marilyn had a special love for God’s creation, particularly dolphins, cats, birds, butterflies, and flowers,  which seemed to hold a mystical attraction to her. Family meant everything to her. She loved writing and producing family plays, for which her children and grandchildren contributed music, art, and acting roles for the plays. She also enjoyed writing and telling stories for children, often incorporating puppetry, spiritual themes, and her love of nature and country into her stories. She was a member of the Spellbinders storytelling group. She loved all things Irish and Celtic.

Marilyn was a devout Catholic who participated in various fellowship groups, was a strong advocate for the Catholic radio station EWTN and the Father Capodanno mission, and was a rosary maker.  She was known (and will be missed) for her kindness, cheer, hopefulness, spirit of service, and for the unconditional love she manifested to all.

Marilyn’s funeral will be held at 11:00 AM on April 21, 2023 at Saint Thomas More Catholic Church in Centennial, Colorado. Her committal service will be held at 12:00 noon, May 5, 2023, at Fort Logan Cemetery, Denver, Colorado.  To view the Mass via live stream, please click on this link: https://youtube.com/live/ebbfaao0oTA?feature=share

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