Marlyn Jean Williams McBroom was born in December, 1927 in Gary, Indiana.  She moved to a much quieter, much smaller Murfreesboro as a teenager.  Marriage to a local boy, Army Officer John C. McBroom, sparked her first adventures in Germany right after World War II.  She learned to shoot a pistol and how to evacuate on a moment's notice -alone and with a baby and a dog! - while her husband served on the East German border.  She made multiple homes in the United States, in Europe, and in Japan over John's twenty-year career, using her sewing skills and style to make over Ft. Benning's curtains, say, for the next house in Camp Drew, Japan.  She made friends with the same aplomb, embracing the role of a military spouse, welcoming newcomers like old pals, and leading wives' groups to explore local highlights and history.  She taught all three of her children to be at home and confident in the wide world.

When John retired from the Army, he and Marlyn returned to Murfreesboro with their family.  It had always been home in the deepest sense, where the family returned for holidays.  Over the next thirty years, there were second and third careers for both John and Marlyn, and all three children graduated high school and launched into lives of their own.  Increasingly competitive bridge ensued for Marlyn, and after John's death she played across the world, often combining the game with travel.  River and ocean cruising suited her to a T.  Without packing or unpacking, she explored the capitals of Europe during the day and played duplicate bridge in the evenings, often reconnecting with partners from other adventures.  Her last bridge cruise on the Queen Mary in 2015 was the one she chose to close that chapter.

The last ten years have been quieter, but she lived always on her own terms, fiercely independent, cooking more elaborately, playing bridge with friends at the Senior Citizens Center, and keeping a long list of books reserved at the Linebaugh Library.  That said, especially as she became frailer, her Murfreesboro son and daughter-in-law, Bob and Teresa Spalding McBroom, were in close attendance so she could continue to live and thrive alone.

She loved her family dearly, children Bob and Teresa in Murfreesboro, Pamela and George Brown in Jacksonville, Florida, and Sharan and Tony Martin in Decatur, Georgia.  They gave her a combined seven grandchildren, who added twelve great grandchildren to her fan base.  Keenly interested in our successes and encouraging during hard moments, she was quick to say yes to every invitation and every celebration, the most recent of which was the high school graduation party of a great granddaughter in late April.

In May, an injury required a 26-day stay in rehabilitation, but she was giddy to be home again.  Unfortunately, a fall returned her there within two days, and our beloved mother, grandmother, and great grandmother died on Friday, 4 July.  More than one of us has noted that our favorite firecracker claimed her own independence on the Fourth of July!

The extended family has gathered as a group to celebrate her last three BIG birthdays, and we will come together again in Murfreesboro, Tennessee to celebrate her life with a service at 1pm on Friday, July 25, 2025, at First Presbyterian Church.

An online guestbook is available for the McBroom family at www.woodfinchapel.com.