Marylyn Klein

Marylyn Klein (Marylyn Klein Larsen) died of frontal-temporal dementia on November 18, 2025, in Eugene, Oregon. Born to Ruth and Ira Klein on October 29, 1947, in Sacramento, California, Marylyn lived a life rich in compassion and connection.

She grew up in California, attended high school in Carmichael and graduated from San Jose State College. She earned a Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.

Marylyn dedicated much of her professional life to child protective services with the State of Oregon. She specialized in foster care - first managing caseloads of children in care and later certifying and training foster homes. After taking time off to raise her daughter Jessica, she served as administrator for the Center for Community Counseling. She returned to state service for another decade working with foster families before retiring in 2002.

Marylyn and Kit Larsen (Kermit) met while working in casework. They established a household in 1977, married in 1981, and had daughter Jessica in 1982. Kelani, Kit’s daughter, became a regular visitor from her home in Brookline. Their home was a gathering place, whether for weekly nights for watching Cheers or Seinfeld or hosting a child’s birthday party in the back yard or having a bridge party.

Marylyn was a loving mother and grandmother. She instilled in her daughter Jessica her love of art, travel, reading, and culture. Marylyn warmly included Jessica's friends in celebrating special occasions and holidays with her family: lighting the menorah; playing the dreidel; decorating the Christmas tree. She delighted reading to grandson Augie when he was a baby, sewing for him, and picking out special toys. She took Bryon on endless walks; shared story time and Baby Pop Music with him. She spent many hours holding baby Ira.

After retirement, Marylyn engaged in volunteer activities. At Food for Lane County, she chopped vegetables. She went back to the Center for Community Counseling, where she handled initial contact with prospective clients. She sat at a table in front of the public library registering voters; she participated in conversation groups supporting non-native English speakers; she served on the board of directors at Looking Glass.

Her Jewish heritage was a profound part of her identity. Marylyn’s maternal grandparents perished in the Holocaust, and her father enlisted early with the Canadian Army to fight against Nazi Germany because the US was not yet engaged. As a teenager, she spent a summer on a kibbutz in Israel. In 2008, she traveled to Vienna to represent her mother at a ceremony honoring her mother’s expelled 1938 high school class. On that trip she learned more about her grandparents and she visited their last known residence. She preserved Holocaust history by recording and transcribing the life story of her friend Charlotte - another survivor - an account now housed as part of national historical archives. Marylyn had an appreciation for art and culture. She enjoyed visiting art museums in all her travels. She ferreted out interesting events, as readings by Allen Ginsberg in New York, a Fringe Festival in Vancouver, a children’s theatre in Valparaiso. She found treasures at the Saturday Market and other local venues. She loved jewelry (her father had a passion for gold and minor interest in a gold mine), picture jasper, and turquoise. She often wore six to eight rings and several bracelets at once. She made friends with the crafts people and became supportive beyond purchases, inviting them into her home and family.

Games brought Marylyn joy throughout her life. She especially loved bridge - playing kitchen table bridge with friends and competing regularly at the Emerald Bridge Club, where she earned several master’s points over the years. She enjoyed Bingo and trivia and got the kids involved as well.

Travel was another passion that enriched Marylyn’s life. With an eye for color and culture, she explored both well-known destinations and hidden corners of the world. Her journeys took her across Europe visiting WWII sites with her parents; to India and Thailand with Jessica; birding adventures across Ecuador, Portugal, Peru, Chile, Australia with Kit; and many trips to New York City. Her home reflected this global spirit - filled with ceramics, paintings, watercolors, and textiles that told stories from around the world.

She had lifelong friends from grade school, from college, from her days of working, from her times of volunteering, friends from her daughter’s preschool and public school. She remembered birthdays with note cards, surprised friends with books or candy before their travels, and always found ways to show she cared. Everyone loved Marylyn because she was so much fun to be with,

Those who knew Marylyn remember her as cheerful and good-hearted - a woman who treated everyone with kindness and dignity. Her laughter was infectious; her sense of justice unwavering. She had an exceptional ability to see people clearly - to appreciate their uniqueness - and made everyone feel valued.

Marylyn is survived by her husband Kit; daughter Jessica (Jordan); stepdaughter Kelani (Dan); grandchildren Ira, Bryon, and Augie; family in Sacramento, Massachusetts, and Virginia, and by countless friends whose lives are brightened by her spirit.

The family extends their thanks to the care takers and staff at Evergreen Memory Care and to Ava Miller, who gave Marylyn special attention.

In lieu of flowers, a donation in honor of Marylyn might be directed to the Center for Community Counseling or Food for Lane County.

A Memorial gathering in honor of Marylyn will be held at 1:30pm at Ninkasi (155 Blair St.) on Sunday Jan 4, 2026. Please bring a story and come and share stories of Marylyn with others.