Marion Yvonne Toillion was born on May 23, 1935, to Paul and Lillian Koch in North Platte, NE. She grew up on the family farm outside of North Platte. Her dad farmed mostly corn and had a few milk cows and herefords. Her mom had chickens and a large garden. Being born during the Great Depression she learned to make do with what they had. She had two brothers – Ralph and Glenn, and three sisters – Leona, Bernice and Darlene.

Marion started drawing when she was a young girl and never stopped. She learned to paint with oils and then watercolor. In later years the student became the teacher. She shared what she had learned over the years with her children and grandchildren. It brought her much joy to share her passion.

One memory that Marion and Dave would share about their childhood was when they were ice skating on her uncle's pond. During a game of 'crack the whip', Marion was injured. Because she was small, she was on the very end of the 'whip'. Dave, being five years older, was on the 'handle' end of the whip. Marion went flying and ended up with a cut on her head. When Dave saw the cute little blonde with big blue eyes and a cut on her head he felt horrible and went with her to see that she got home without any problem. Their next meeting was many years later at the University of Nebraska when he ran into the pretty blonde with those blue eyes that he never forgot. Marion was studying home economics. During her summers at UNL she worked at Custer State Park as a baker. Every day her job was making pies: she made the best pies ever! Dave would often drive up to visit her. He loved telling about her coming out of the kitchen covered with flour and her beautiful blue eyes shining through.

Marion and Dave were married in North Platte, NE on November 25, 1955. They were on Thanksgiving break so there wasn't much time for a honeymoon, so it was back to school for them. Rather than going back to classes, Marion started a job at Sears to help pay for their apartment and food. One year later Debra was born, followed by three more children – Mark Kathryn, and Steven. Dave was a Civil Engineer. After college, he entered a training program that moved them back and forth across the country until eventually, he settled at Cheyenne, WY.

Marion and Dave enjoyed building their own homes together. Over the years, Marion acquired the skills of concrete making, bricklaying, sheet rocking, and the list continues. She was a tireless worker. After being in Cheyenne for several years, Dave took a position in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The whole family moved there and lived there for two years. While there, Marion loved taking oil painting lessons from a master portrait artist. Upon returning to the US, Marion and Dave moved to Pierre, SD, where they stayed until Dave retired. Again, they built a house, farmed, and grew in their service to the lord.

Retirement by Dave brought some changes to their lives. The children were out of high school, so Dave took consulting jobs. They lived in Santa Fe, NM, where Marion grew in her love of watercolors. The Philippines and Saudi Arabia were added to the places they moved. By this time the grandchildren had started making their appearances, so Marion didn't travel everywhere with Dave.

When Dave quit taking consulting jobs they moved to Spearfish, SD. Marion continued daily to paint. She was involved in many art shows, was a member of the Black Hills Watercolor Society, and had art in several SD galleries. Even after dementia/Alzheimer's took much of her painting ability, she would spend hours organizing her photos from years past; drawing and sketching are still a part of her daily routine.

Marion is survived by her four children, Debra Monroe, Mark Toillion, Kathryn Sigle, and Steven Toillion, fourteen grandchildren and fifteen great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband David, an infant son Thomas, parents Lilian and Paul Koch, one brother Ralph, and two sisters Leona and Bernice.

Memorial services will be held at 10:30 AM, Saturday, February 10, 2024 at Northern Hills Church of Christ, located between Spearfish and Belle Fourche on HWY 85.