Marilyn (Lyn) Ruth (Jones) Pedersen, a lifelong caregiver and long-time resident of Brookings who had moved to Minneapolis in recent years, died on Tuesday, May 31, 2022, at the age of 86.

Lyn was born Oct. 6, 1935, in Webster, SD, to Paul and Charlotte (Christie) Jones, as the eldest of three siblings. She was preceded in death by her parents and her younger brother Lowell (Sandra) Jones of Falcon's Landing, VA. Her youngest brother, Wayne (Patricia) Jones, lives in Ottertail, MN. She also was preceded in death by her loving husband, James (Jim) Orville Pedersen, and her oldest daughter, Cynthia Rae Pedersen, for whom she was a lifelong companion and caregiver.

Lyn grew up in Huron, attending Huron High School and playing piccolo and flute in the marching band. Lyn's focus on caregiving traces back to high school when her mother contracted polio and Lyn cared for her mother while she was in an iron lung for several months. After graduation, Lyn enrolled at South Dakota State College (SDSC), where she graduated in 1957 as part of the first ever class of nurses graduating from SDSC with a bachelor's degree in nursing. She was a registered nurse and worked briefly on the Pine Ridge Indian reservation and in the maternity ward at Sioux Valley hospital.

Lyn and Jim were married on Feb. 23, 1957, at First Methodist Church in Huron, SD. They renewed their wedding vows 50 years later during a sunset ceremony on Po'olenalena Beach in Maui on June 18, 2007. Jim and Lyn are survived by three other children, Brad (Kathy) Pedersen of Hayward, WI; Joel (Jean) Pedersen of Lincoln, NE; and Jana (Chris) Petersen of Lafayette, CO. Her grandchildren are Nicole (Ryan) Bartek of Pearland, TX; Jesse (Rachel) Carroll of Minneapolis, MN; Kyle (Amber) Pedersen of Lincoln, NE; and Trevor, Hunter and Kaden Petersen of Lafayette, CO. Her great-grandchildren are Cierra and Milo Bartek of Pearland, TX; and Haley (Packer) and Leo Pedersen of Lincoln. She was happy to expect a fifth great-grandchild in September 2022, James Carroll of Minneapolis, MN.

Although she gave up her professional career in nursing to raise her children, Lyn brought her nursing skills to bear throughout her life as a caregiver for elderly parents, aunts and uncles, and other family members who flourished under her loving and attentive ministrations. She was also the family's historian, creating more than a hundred scrapbooks carefully organized by date and annotated with names and places of all the events and occasions of her family and friends.

While residing in Brookings, Lyn was an active member of the First United Methodist Church and helped with fundraising activities while Jim was a board member and president of the FUMC Foundation. She and Jim were especially proud of their fund-raising efforts that helped create the FUMC Community Life Center in Brookings.

Lyn also was active in PEO and Extension, participated in two bridge clubs, and joined her friends in square dancing in the 1970s and 1980s. She was a talented dancer and musician, accompanying SDSC choral performances on the piano during her time in college, and singing and dancing right up until the end of her life.

Her children remember Lyn as their loudest and most ardent cheerleader at Brookings High School events, where her cry of "woo-hoo" earned her the nickname of "the Owl" from other kids and parents. She also regularly attended Jackrabbit football and basketball games and never missed a Hobo Day celebration when she lived in Brookings – many of those years right near campus on Harvey Dunn St.

Lyn displayed a mug with "The Joy of Not Cooking" in her kitchen. She still heartily enjoyed organizing and hosting social occasions, including some epic birthday, Christmas, and New Year's Eve parties. Especially memorable events featured adults riding through an obstacle course on a small child's tricycle and her directing the annual family rendition of singing the Twelve Days of Christmas. We will never forget her fun-loving and persistently cheerful spirit.

Funeral services will take place at 10:30 A.M. on Friday, July 1, 2022, at Eidsness Funeral Home, 1617 Orchard Dr., Brookings, SD  57006. Visitation will be 5-7 PM on Thursday, June 30, 2022, also at Eidsness.

Memorials will be directed to the Pedersen Family Scholarship Endowment at the SDSU Foundation, Lohr Building, 815 Medary Avenue, Brookings, SD 57006 or https://www.sdstatefoundation.org/bold-blue