Obituary: Marilyn Hotchkiss Molloy, 91, Of West Haven

WEST HAVEN, CT — (From West Haven Funeral Home): Marilyn Hotchkiss Molloy, 91, of Jensen Beach, FL and West Haven, CT passed away peacefully on January 3, 2023. Marilyn was born in Hartford, CT on May 15, 1931, to George B and Madeline Henrechon Hotchkiss.

Survived by her children; James J (Lauren) Molloy III, Douglas Molloy, David (Debby) Molloy, Mary (John) Kelly; granddaughters Colleen (Joshua) Jordan, Erin (Michael) Upham, Shauna Kelly, Tessa Molloy; great-grandchildren Joshua Jordan Jr., Grace Upham, Thomas Upham, Aiden Jordan; sister-in-law Ruth Granfield, brother-in-law Rick Richau, and 16 nieces and nephews.

Marilyn was predeceased by her loving husband of 67 years, James J Molloy Jr., her parents, brother George B. (Diane) Hotchkiss Jr. and sisters/brothers-in-law Helen (Felix) Kuczynski, Thomas (Lorraine) Molloy, Edward Granfield, Patricia Richau and nephew Paul Hotchkiss.

Marilyn was a 1948 graduate of West Haven High School and went to work right after school at SNET as an Office Supervisor until her children were born. She went back to the work part-time for Joseph G Michel & Sons as the Office Manager/Bookkeeper where she worked until her retirement.

Marilyn was very active in the community and volunteering was a very important part of her life; a member West Haven Garden Club for over 40 years, where she was a past-President and during her term she wanted to beautify West Haven by arranging for wrought-iron planter baskets to be installed over the parking meters. She started the Junior Gardeners Club for young children to pass on her love of flowers and gardening and did garden therapy at local convalescent homes.

When her sons were young, she was a Den Mother for the Boy Scouts and helped with Ray Tellier Midge Football parents club. She volunteered with her church communities, helped the elderly & delivered meals-on-wheels to name a few of her community activities.

Marilyn was very creative and crafty. She liked to walk the beach picking up driftwood and shells and making beautiful table displays that she sold at craft shows. She learned the art of trapunto and spent her evenings crafting wastepaper baskets and desk accessories mainly with pictures of dogs and cats and sold her trapunto crafts at many dog/cat/craft shows.

Mom made our home the gathering place, many large family holidays, parties, picnics & block parties. You always knew she had some fun games to be played.

Marilyn also loved the arts and took her children and neighborhood children to many plays, theater & orchestra performances to expand their culture horizons.

She was a very active genealogist, researching the family trees. Many trips to libraries and cemeteries to look for family histories and information (way before the internet made it easy). She was proud to be able to say she was a “Connecticut Yankee” and a Daughter of the American Revolution (DAR).

Marilyn & Jim also enjoyed square dancing for many years, traveling to conventions across the country.

Retirement years were spent on Nettles Island in Jensen Beach, FL with summers back home in West Haven.

She was very active in the Nettles Island community such as the Theatre Guild and Spring Festival and many other clubs. She started a “Coffee Klatch” to get neighbors together so everyone would meet more people in Nettles and also started one in West Haven to build that community atmosphere everywhere she went.

Her biggest legacy has been in the past 20 years where she was devoted to sending care packages to “her soldiers.” Her house was filled with supplies that she bought along with donations from Nettles Island residents, friends & family. Every month she sent multiple care boxes to our troops. She corresponded with many of the troops, having many personal connections with them.

This was her passion which she was recognized many times for her continued devotion and support of our troops overseas.

She wrote her life story for us and ended with “Don’t worry about the future, take one day at a time. Be kind to others as you would have them be to you.”

A life well lived. We will miss you.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Veteran Angler Charters, a foundation founded and run by her niece Kathy Granfield, which provides no-cost fishing trips to disabled veterans of all branches of the armed services. Veteran Angler Charters, PO Box 504, West Haven, CT, 06516, www.veterananglercharters.org.

For more information and to leave online condolences, visit West Haven Funeral Home here.