Date of Birth: April 08, 1940

Date of Death: February 15, 2023

MARILYN JONES BECK WAS BORN 8 APRIL 1940 AND WENT TO BE WITH THE LORD ON 15 FEBRUARY 2023 —CONSIDERED HERSELF A NATIVE OF PHOENIX ALTHOUGH ACTUALLY BORN IN LUBBOCK, TX TO J.V. JONES AND NORMAH PERRY JONES. THE FAMILY, INCLUDING HER OLDER SISTER, MARJORIE, AND YOUNGER SISTER, JANICE, MOVED TO PHOENIX IN 1947 WHEN HER DAD, J,V. JONES, WAS REASSIGNED BY THE SANTA FE RAILROAD TO BE PROPERTY MANAGER OF THE ARIZONA REGION. MARILYN ATTENDED SCHOOL, FIRST THRU EIGHTH GRADE, IN THE OSBORN SCHOOL DISTRICT. SHE WAS RAISED ATTENDING NORTH PHOENIX BAPTIST CHURCH—WHEN THE DOORS WERE OPEN, THE FAMILY WAS THERE—EVENTUALLY SHE WAS MARRIED IN THAT CHURCH IN 1960 BY PASTOR STAPLES. UPON GRADUATION FROM EIGHTH GRADE AT CLARENDON, MARILYN ATTENDED WEST PHOENIX HIGH. SHE WAS A PROUD THUNDERBIRD—PLAYED CLARINET IN THE MARCHING BAND AND SERVED ON THE SCHOOL ANNUAL STAFF, THE WESTERNER. MARILYN’S HUSBAND TO BE, ROGER BECK, WAS 2 YEARS AHEAD OF HER AT WEST HI AND GRADUATED IN 1956. THEY DID NOT KNOW EACH OTHER DURING ROGER’S YEARS AT WEST HI, BUT IN THE SUMMER OF 1957, WHILE ROGER WAS HOME ON SUMMER BREAK FROM STANFORD, HE HAPPENED TO PULL INTO A DRIVE-IN SLOT AT BOB’S BIG BOY ON CENTRAL AVE, AND HE SPOTTED MARILYN IN THE CAR NEXT TO HIM. HE GOT HER NAME, AND THE NEXT DAY CALLED EVERY JONES IN THE PHONE BOOK UNTIL HE GOT TO J.V. JONES. WHEN HE CALLED THAT NUMBER, MARILYN ANSWERED. HE ASKED HER FOR A DATE. THEY HAVE BEEN TOGETHER EVER SINCE. BEFORE ROGER RETURNED TO STANFORD THAT FALL, THEY WERE PINNED (THETA DELTA CHI). MARILYN GRADUATED FROM WEST HI IN 1958 AND THAT SUMMER THEY WERE ENGAGED—AS ROGER RETURNED TO STANFORD FOR HIS JUNIOR YEAR AND MARLYN HEADED FOR BAYLOR UNIVERSITY, 2000 MILES EAST OF STANFORD UNIV. IN WACO, TX. THEIR SONG WAS PAT BOONE’S “REMEMBER YOU ARE MINE.” WHEN ROGER GRADUATED, THEY WERE MARRIED AT NORTH PHOENIX BAPTIST CHURCH ON 20 AUG 1960. ROGER ENTERED BAYLOR MEDICAL COLLEGE, BUT IN HOUSTON, SO MARILYN TRANSFERRED TO THE UNIV. OF HOUSTON WHERE SHE GRADUATED PHI BETA KAPPA AS A HOUSTON COUGER IN 1962. WHILE MARILYN GOT HER DEGREE IN EDUCATION, AND ROGER ATTENDED MEDICAL SCHOOL, MARILYN WAS THE BREAD WINNER—WORKING AS ONE OF THE FIRST “TRIGGERETTES” FOR THE INAUGRAL HOUSTON COLT 45s AND THEN AS A SUPERVISING “SPACETTE” WHEN THEY MOVED TO THE ASTRODOME AND BECAME THE “HOUSTON ASTROS.” UPON GRADUATION, SHE SUPPORTED THE FAMILY TEACHING THE FIFTH GRADE IN HOUSTON UNTIL 1965 WHEN ROGER COMPLETED HIS MEDICAL INTERNSHIP AT BAYLOR, AND THEY MOVED TO WEST LOS ANGELES AS ROGER ENTERED HIS MEDICAL RESIDENCY AND CARDIOLOGY FELLOWSHIP AT UCLA; BUT MARILYN CONTINUED TEACHING THE 5TH GRADE IN THE LENNOX DISTRICT, NEAR LAX, UNTIL ROGER COMPLETED HIS CARDIOLOGY FELLOWSHIP, AND THEY ENTERED ACTIVE DUTY IN THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE IN 1968. (ROGER WAS THE ACTIVE-DUTY MEMBER WHO WAS PAID; MARILYN SERVED EVERY BIT AS MUCH WITHOUT PAY.) NOT TO BE OVERLLOOKED, DURING THE UCLA YEARS, THEY HAD THEIR FIRST SON. WILLIAM BRYAN BECK, BORN 19 JAN 1966 AT UCLA MEDICAL CENTER. YOU CAN NOT TELL MARILYN’S LIFE STORY WITHOUT NOTING THAT IT IS CONNECTED TO HER SERVING IN THE AIRFORCE—BASICALLY ALL THEIR MARRIED LIFE. ROGER JOINED THE AIR FORCE RESERVE THE FIRST YEAR THEY WERE MARRIED IN ORDER TO COMPLETE HIS MEDICAL TRAINING BEFORE SERVING ON ACTIVE DUTY (THESE WERE THE VIET NAM YEARS; ROGER’S CHOICE WAS SERVE AS A PRIVATE AND CARRY A RIFLE IN 1961 OR COMPLETE HIS TRAINING AND SERVE AS A CAPTAIN AND CARRY A STETHESCOPE. HE CHOSE THE LATTER. TURNS OUT THEY MADE IT A LIFE-LONG CAREER.) THUS, BETWEEN 1960 AND 1998 (38 YEARS) MARILYN MOVED HER HOUSEHOLD TO 17 DIFFERENT CITIES (ACTUALLY MOVED MORE THAN THAT BECAUSE WE MOVED OUR HOUSEHOLD SOMETIMES MUTIPLE TIMES IN ONE CITY). DURINNG THESE ACTIVE-DUTY YEARS, THE MOST SIGNIFICANT EVENT WAS THE ARRIVAL OF THEIR SECOND SON, ROBERT BRYAN BECK, 21 JUNE 1972. ROGER WAS ASIGNED AS SENIOR FLIGHT SURGEON IN THE PENTAGON CLINIC AT THAT TIME, SO “BOBBY” WAS BORN IN WALTER REED MEDICAL CENTER IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. THAT NEXT JANUARY ROGER AND MARILYN SERVED AS THE MILITARY HOSTS FOR BILLY AND RUTH GRAHAM TO THE 1973 PRESIDENTIAL INNAUGRAL ACTIVITIES—BOBBY WAS ROCKED IN THE ARMS OF RUTH. OF NOTE, ROGER WAS SELECTED TO COMMAND AIR FORCE CLINICS AS EARLY AS 1971 AS A MAJOR, AND WHEN PROMOTED TO COLONEL IN 1979, HIS SUBSEQUENT POSITIONS WERE COMMANDING USAF HOSPITALS AND REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTERS. THIS MADE MARILYN THE “SENIOR” MEDICAL WIFE AT THOSE LOCATIONS WITH CONSIDERABLE RESPONSIBILITIES AS A CONSULTANT TO THE WIFE OF THE INSTALLATION COMMANDER—NOT TO MENTION AS A MENTOR FOR ALL THE YOUNG WIVES OF MEDICS IN ROGER’S COMMAND. AS NOTED, THE SPOUSE OF A CAREER OFFICER SERVES WHETHER ON THE PAYROLL, OR NOT. THEIR MILTARY ASSIGNMENTS BROUGHT MARILYN BACK TO WILLIAMS FIELD IN 1968 (THE BACK YARD OF ALL OF ROGER’S COUSINS IN GILBERT, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY IN THE VALLEY WHERE BOTH SETS OF GRANDPARENTS LIVED AND COULD VISIT THEIR GRANDSON, BILLY. (GOD WAS IN THAT). THEIR LAST ASSIGNMENT WAS BACK TO THE VALLEY AS COMMANDER OF THE 56TH MEDICAL GROUP, LUKE AFB. GOD WAS ALSO IN THAT SINCE MARILYN’S MOM WAS ENTERING HER FINAL YEARS, AS WAS ROGER’S DAD. (THIS WAS DEFINITELY PROVIDENTIAL SINCE ROGER HAD HELD COMMAND OF GROUPS WITH GREATER RESPONISIBILITY—BUT THIS ANSWERED PRAYERS) BETWEEN THOSE TWO ASSIGNMENTS MARILYN MOVED TO ARLINGTON VIRGINIA, RAMSTEIN GERMANY, BENTWATERS ENGLAND, PLATTSBURGH NY, RAPID CITY S.D., MONTGOMERY AL, SHREVEPORT LOUISIANNA, RIVERSIDE CA, REDLANDS CA, MILLILANI HI AND MIDWEST CITY OK. MARILYN HAS BEEN AT THE “TOP OF THE MARK,” SF, TOP OF THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING, TOP OF TOWER OF LONDON, TOP OF THE EIFFEL TOWER, HITLERS EAGLE NEST TOP OF THE BAVARIAN ALPS, PART WAY UP THE MATTEHORN, TOP OF SEVILLE CASTLE, TOP OF THE COLUSSIUM ROME, TOP OF DIAMOND HEAD, TOP OF MOUNT MCKINLEY, TOP OF MOUNT VICTORIA HONG KONG, TOP OF MOUNT COOK IN NEW ZEALAND—BTW: SHE WALKED ON TOP OF THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA AND CELEBRATED AN EASTER SUN RISE SERVICE ON THE SEA OF GALLILEE. MARILYN SERVED IN HER SOUTHERN BAPTIST CHURCH AND AIR FORCE CHAPEL SERVICE WHEREVER GOD TOOK HER. BACK HOME IN RECENT YEARS, AS A MEMBER OF FIRST SOUTHERN BAPTIST CHURCH, SHE SERVED ON THE LEADERSHIP COUNCIL, THE NURSERY MINISTRY, HOSPITAL VISITATION AND MISSIONS COMMITTEE; MOST OF ALL, AS LEADER OF THE PRAYER CHAIN MINISTRY FOR MANY YEARS. MARILYN AND ROGER WERE PLEDGED TO ONE ANOTHER SINCE I957 AND MARRIED FOR 62 YEARS. SHE WAS PRECEEDED IN DEATH BY HER FIRST SON, WILLIAM, IN 2015 AND IS SUCCEEDED BY ROGER AND HER SON “BOBBY” (MISTY), AND HER SISTERS, MARGE AND JAN, AND MULTIPLE NEPHEWS AND NIECES WHICH SHE CONSIDERED HER GRANDCHILDREN TOO. MARILYN’S ASHES WILL BE INTERERED AT THE NATIONAL CEMETERY IN CAVE CRREEK WITH THE APPROPRIATE RECOGNITION FOR HER SERVICE TO GOD AND HER COUNTRY—IT WILL BE A PRIVATE FAMILY GATHERING. HER MEMORIAL SERVICE, AND THE CELEBRATION OF HER CHRISTIAN LIFE WILL BE AT FIRST PHOENIX CHURCH (FIRST SOUTHERN BAPTIST CHURCH) ON 18 MARCH AT 11:A.M.

Service Information

FIRST PHOENIX CHURCH (FIRST SOUTHERN BAPTIST CHURCH), 3535 W. GEORGIA AVE, PHX 18 MARCH AT 11:00A.M.