‚ Obituary ‚ Posted at larkinmortuary.com
Marion Emma Astin, age 90, passed away on 24 March 2016. She was the daughter of James Nephi Astin and Lois Edith Hobson and was the youngest of seven children. She was born on February 5, 1926 in Salt Lake City Utah. She attended Kindergarten, first and second and grades at the Columbus Elementary School in Salt Lake City. The family moved to Chicago where she completed the third grade and then returned to Salt Lake City where she attended the fourth grade. Her father's employment took them back again to Chicago where she entered the fifth grade and then on through high school. She was selected to give a speech at her high school graduation and also had the privilege of leading the graduating class procession. She graduated from Brigham Young University and began her life's profession as an Elementary School Teacher. She taught for a few years at the Highland Park Elementary School in Salt Lake City, but desiring a change and some adventure, she applied for a job teaching for the Army Dependent Schools in Europe. When she was not selected to go to Europe she took a teaching job in Weber County. However an offer came to teach in Germany at Ramstein Air Base which she accepted and went to Germany to teach for two years. She enjoyed the experience and had the opportunity to travel throughout Europe.
When she returned to Salt Lake City she began teaching again at Highland Park Elementary, later at Parkview and then Dilworth Elementary School. She estimated that in her 38 years of teaching she had taught about 1300 young students. After her retirement she spent eight more years tutoring reading at Nibley Park School.
Marion was a faithful member of the LDS church. In Chicago, at age 16 she taught 7 and 8-year- old children. In the Nibley Park Ward she taught the Beehive class, genealogy classes, teacher training and also in the Relief Society. She wrote histories of the Nibley Park Ward and the Salt Lake Granite Stake and served a number of years as chairman of the Granite Stake Extraction Program.
From 1959 to 1974 she served on the Primary General Board where she worked on a number of committees and was assigned to the Church Correlation Committee to write lessons for the Primary and Sunday School.
Marion had a great interest in genealogy and family history. While she was teaching in Germany she had the great opportunity to go to England and search for records of family ancestors in England and Scotland. She enjoyed that very much and was able to search out many ancestors.
From her youth Marion had a special fondness for animals. Through the years she loved and cared for many dogs and cats who were her treasured friends.
Marion loved her family. She was loved and well thought of by all of her siblings and all of her nieces and nephews.
She was predeceased by her parents and all of her siblings and their spouses: Merle Schreiner and her husband Bill, Lucile Macfarlane and her husband Keith, Sterling and his wives Inez and Doris, Wayne and his wife Clara, John and his wife Betty, Warren and his wife Helen as well as two nephews and one niece. She is survived by 11 nephews and 10 nieces.
A funeral service will be held Wednesday, March 30, 2016 at 11:00 AM in the Nibley Park Ward Chapel (2450 South 600 East, Salt Lake City). There will be a viewing at the church on Tuesday, March 29th from 6 to 8 PM and again on Wednesday, March 30th from 9:30 to 10:45 AM. Interment will be in the Larkin Sunset Lawn Cemetery.
