MARILYN R. APPLETON ETNA--Marilyn Ruth (Frost) Appleton, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend, began her next adventure January 29, 2024, when she passed away in hospital in Bangor. Marilyn had a warm heart and friendly disposition toward everyone. She was born March 16, 1950, in Glen Cove, NY to George and Mary (Morris) Frost. She studied for a year at Cal State Fullerton before she met the love of her life in the student union at Sonoma State College. She and Jim married on Sonoma Mountain in Cotati, CA on February 9, 1974. They spent two years in Coventry, RI before moving to Alaska. There they welcomed two daughters, who Marilyn homeschooled, and made their home in Anchorage and as well as various Alaska Native villages. Marilyn loved children and shaped her working life to be around kids as much as possible. She opened a daycare in Alaska while her own kids were small. After the family settled on a farm in Etna in 1987, she volunteered as a Girl Scout troop leader while working as a teachers' aid and school bus driver. She studied nights at the kitchen table to earn her bachelor's and then master's degrees in education from the University of Maine at Orono. Marilyn taught special education at MSAD 48 schools for many years, retiring in 2012 from Sebasticook Valley Middle School. Marilyn was never happier than when she spent time outside. She truly found her people while adventuring with the "WO" group of friends hiking, canoeing, camping, and swimming. Marilyn's kind and nurturing nature extended to her giant garden, where she could make anything grow, and to the animals on their farm, where she shepherded several generations of sheep, and several times won ribbons at the fair for her vegetables and fleeces. An avid reader, Marilyn always had at least 2 books going at a time. Marilyn is deeply missed by her husband of 50 years James Appleton of Etna; their daughters Abigail Appleton of Charleston, SC and Amy Appleton and husband Justin Glucksman and their children Vivian and Caleb, all of Winchester, MA; sister Sharon (Frost) Schlentner and husband Bob of Port Townsend, WA; sister-in-law Mary (Appleton) Doody and husband Mike of Naperville, IL. She was predeceased in childhood by her brother Bobby Frost. Friends are invited to celebrate Marilyn's life 11 A.M. Saturday, March 2nd, at the Unitarian Universalist Society, 120 Park Street, Bangor, with a reception immediately following. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Maine Children's Alliance at mainekids.org or to Friends of Baxter State Park at friendsofbaxter.org. Arrangements are by Crosby & Neal, Newport