Marilyn Kay Crow March 16, 1951 – September 20, 2026

Marilyn Kay Crow, lovingly known to her family and so many others simply as “Gonga,” passed away on September 20, 2026, at the age of 75.

Marilyn was born on March 16, 1951, in La Marque, Texas, to Marvin and Joyce Rodgers. She later made her home in Edgewood, New Mexico, before moving to Louisville, Tennessee, where she spent the final five years of her life surrounded by family.

On June 21, 1974, Marilyn married Melvin Chester Crow. For more than 52 years, they shared a life together, raised a family, weathered life’s ups and downs, and remained not only husband and wife, but best friends.

Marilyn had a heart for caring for others. She graduated from Clarendon College in Texas in 1986 as a Licensed Practical Nurse and devoted much of her professional life to nursing. She worked in nursing homes and assisted living facilities and especially enjoyed her time working in endocrinology. Caring for people was more than Marilyn’s profession; it was simply part of who she was.

She was sweet, kind, calm, and caring, and she always wanted the best for those around her. Marilyn had a wonderful sense of humor and an ability to find something good even in difficult circumstances. She wasn’t one for confrontation. Instead, she brought a quiet steadiness to her family and to the people who knew her.

And if you were around Marilyn for very long, chances were good she was going to feed you.

She loved to cook and bake, and her kitchen often smelled of fresh-baked bread. She passed that love on by teaching her children and grandchildren how to cook, leaving them with recipes, traditions, and memories that will continue around family tables for generations.

Family was at the center of Marilyn’s life. She loved family gatherings and treasured simply being surrounded by her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. “Gonga” wasn’t merely a grandmother’s nickname—it became the name by which she was known and loved.

Marilyn also enjoyed quilting, antiquing, and collecting crows and cows. These simple things brought her happiness and became little pieces of her personality that her family will always associate with her.

Above all, Marilyn was a woman of faith. She was a devoted Christian who had accepted Jesus Christ as her Savior and was baptized. She loved her church, and her faith was an important part of the way she lived her life—with kindness, patience, compassion, and love for others. Her family takes comfort in the faith that meant so much to her throughout her life.

Marilyn is survived by her husband and best friend, Melvin Chester Crow; her children, Chet Crow and his wife, Rachel; David Burrows of Tulsa, Oklahoma; Jerry Crow and his wife, Janna, of Louisville, Tennessee; Ronald Crow and his wife, Antonia; and Jennifer Astorga and her husband, Joey. She also leaves behind 13 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren, each of whom knew the love of their Gonga.

She is also survived by her brother, Gary Wayne Rodgers, and sister, Linda Reed.

Marilyn was preceded in death by her parents, Marvin and Joyce Rodgers, and her brother, Marvin Lee Rodgers.

There will be countless things her family will miss—the quilts, the laughter, the family gatherings, her calm presence, and the way she always made sure everyone was taken care of. And somewhere among those memories will always be the smell of fresh bread coming from the kitchen and Gonga making sure everyone had something to eat.

Marilyn spent a lifetime caring for people. As a nurse, a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a great-grandmother, a sister, and a friend, she made the lives around her a little warmer and a little kinder.

Her family will miss her deeply, but the love, faith, traditions, and memories she gave them will remain.

Family will assemble for interment at East Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery on October 2,2026. A Celebration of Life will be held on Friday, October 2, 2026, at 12:00 PM, the service will be located at Broadway Baptist Church 2329 E Broadway Ave Maryville, TN 37804. Condolences may be shared at Smith Funeral & Cremation Service, 865-983-1000, or online at www.smithfuneralandcremation.com.