Marilyn Stamp

Marilyn Ann Stamp, 89, of Oak Park, formerly of Clinton, Iowa, passed away peacefully on April 4, 2026, after a long decline due to strokes and Alzheimer’s disease. Marilyn was, in every sense, a force. Strong, sharp, funny, and fiercely independent, she moved through the world with curiosity, believed deeply in the causes she fought for, worked hard, and had a gift that bordered on legendary: she could talk to anyone and everyone and find out their life story in about five minutes. She collected antiques, rescued every dog she could, and built a sprawling, lifelong network of people who adored her. Raised in Clinton, Iowa, alongside her older sister Jacelyn, Marilyn was the daughter of Elsie and Jack Stamp. She graduated from Clinton High School in 1954 and headed to Moline, Illinois, to attend the Lutheran Hospital School for Nurses. There, she found her people, a group of bold, brilliant women who became her lifelong squad. After completing her training, Marilyn and her best friend moved to Chicago to work at Weiss Hospital. She loved to tell the story about how the two of them, small-town Midwestern girls, temporarily lived in what she described as a “house of ill repute” while waiting to move into their Uptown apartment. It was just the beginning of a life defined by adventure, humor, and always doing things her own way. Her nursing career took her across the country from Florida to California before she decided to join the Army. As an Army nurse at Walter Reed Hospital, she cared for General Douglas MacArthur at the end of his life. In true Marilyn fashion, she also managed to quite literally run into General Dwight D. Eisenhower, nearly knocking him over, explaining, “He was too short to see,” and laughing as she pretended to salute to the ground. She served during the Vietnam War era and was honorably discharged after the birth of her daughter, Laura, in 1965. Raising her daughter as a single mom didn't stop Marilyn. She worked nights and went to school full-time during the day to earn her bachelor’s degree so she could teach nursing at Clinton Community College. When she decided to pursue her master’s degree, she packed Laura into a Volkswagen and headed to Tucson to attend the University of Arizona. They returned to Clinton to be near family, and Marilyn dedicated herself to being an amazing mom. Laura was in everything and Marilyn was at every event, like swim meets that stretched for days and ballet recitals that lasted for hours. Together, they took trips to Chicago for theater, to Washington, D.C. for protests, and hosted an AFS student from Holland. Marilyn volunteered for a women’s shelter, campaigned for the Iowa ERA and fully supported Laura’s dream of going to the East Coast to college. Later, when Laura moved back to the Midwest, Marilyn took a job at a community college in eastern Montana. One year was enough for that adventure, and she moved to Kansas, where she earned yet another master’s degree at the University of Kansas and became a professor at Graceland College. She loved being close to her sister and nieces and nephews, but when grandchildren arrived in Chicago, Marilyn didn’t hesitate and\ moved again. In Elburn, she did what she had always done best and built a life with new friends, new stories, and new adventures with her grandkids. She taught them songs, cooked amazing buttery meals for them, brought them to her beloved Elburn library and made them quilts and stuffed animals. When they were in high school, and life became a little tougher for Marilyn to navigate on her own, she moved to Oak Park and attended every band concert and ballet recital of theirs and took them to theater in Chicago. Marilyn is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Laura Stamp and Brad Beile of Oak Park; her grandkids, Richard Beile (San Francisco) and Elise and Rosalyn Beile (Chicago); her sister, Jacelyn Petrehn (Overland Park, KS) and many nephews and nieces. To honor her memory: be outspoken for a cause you’re passionate about, call a friend and talk for hours, adopt a shelter dog or meet someone new in the checkout line. Oh yeah, and don't forget to smother your food in butter and salt and enjoy every bite. A memorial service will be held this summer. Please check back to this website for details. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name to Planned Parenthood\ https://www.plannedparenthood.org/ and Young at Heart Senior Pet Adoptions: https://adoptaseniorpet.com/. Arrangements by Inclusive Funeral Care, 773-318-1305 or www.InclusiveFuneralCare.com.

Marilyn Stamp

December 26, 1936 - April 4, 2026