Marilynn R. Woollett

Marilynn Ramsdell Woollett, of Norwalk, CT, passed away at the age of 98 on Wednesday, July 20. Marilynn led a full and adventurous life. She was born and raised in Norwalk along with her sister, Leah, and her brother, Dick. She attended Norwalk High School where she was a member of the drama club and acted in many of the high school productions. She also cultivated many friendships there which she kept for a lifetime.

In 1945, as World War II was coming to an end, she met her husband-to-be, Ken Woollett, a flight instructor in the New Zealand Royal Air Force, who was stationed in Canada and on leave in Norwalk. For two weeks they danced the nights away at socials set up for the young military men. Then Ken went back to Canada, the war ended, and he returned home to New Zealand. He promptly wrote a letter to Marilynn, asking her to come to New Zealand and marry him. Marilynn, knowing just what she wanted in life, travelled alone at the tender age of 21, first by bus across the U.S. and then boarded a boat to New Zealand. They married and both lived to celebrate their 65 ^th wedding anniversary. What a fairy tale!

Marilynn and Ken had a daughter, Sue, and a son, Rick during the 8 years they lived in New Zealand   before returning to live in Norwalk. As a family, they enjoyed many years as members of the Ascension Beach Club. Marilynn and Ken enjoyed travelling to many islands, many U.S. states, and New Zealand. They lived in South Carolina for 8 years of their retirement before returning once again to Norwalk.

Marilynn always gave 100% to make birthdays and holidays special for her immediate and extended family. She shopped for and wrapped Christmas presents for dozens of nieces and nephews in NZ. Many of them remember to this day what those gifts were and the excitement they felt when those packages arrived “from the states.” On Christmas Eve she donned rubber gloves that reached her elbows and spent hours decorating the Christmas tree with angel hair. On Christmas morning she treated the family to a brunch of bacon, fried eggs cooked in bacon fat, toast, and fresh fruit. After dinner on Christmas Day she served honeycomb, a homemade NZ recipe of custard decorated with red and green sprinkles. She sewed Halloween costumes for Sue and Rick, using scraps of fabrics and repurposed garments, which turned out looking like the finest costumes money could buy. For every birthday Marilynn made a two-layer cake from scratch with sweet cream filling and the appropriate number of candles.

Marilynn was, indeed, an exemplary member of the greatest generation. Friends may greet the family on Monday 7/25/2022 from 3:00 to 5:00 pm in the Raymond Funeral Home, 5 East Wall Street in Historic Norwalk. Please visit www.norwalkfh.com to leave an online condolence for the family.