Marilyn Kay Houseman, 86, of Nashua, New Hampshire, passed peacefully on December 18, 2023.
She was born in Michigan in 1937 to Iris and Robert Lapo and spent summers with her grandparents on their farm, riding horses and sharing a bicycle with a chicken named Wanda. Marilyn met the love of her life and husband of 65 years, Ronald J. Houseman, in Hastings, MI. They became high school sweethearts before attending the University of Michigan. Throughout their lives, they moved 17 times and lived across the country, embarking on many adventures and raising a family. They had three children together: Brad, who passed as a young child; Laurel; and Dirk. They also have one granddaughter, Brooke.
Hawaii; Denver, CO; and Nashua, NH were among Marilyn’s favorite places to live. She and Ron were avid travelers, journeying to Europe and China together. With friends, Marilyn traveled to South America, Thailand, and Singapore. With their son and daughter in law, Dirk and Karen Houseman, Marilyn and Ron traveled to Alaska and Ireland, and with her daughter, Laurel, she traveled to England and rode across the United States on a bicycle trip. Even in 2023, Marilyn continued to have a strong sense of adventure, and she and Ron enjoyed a weekend trip with their granddaughter, Brooke, and her husband, Erik Hanson, to Woodstock, VT.
Marilyn was a highly skilled cook and baker, and won numerous recipe competitions with beloved favorites like her homemade apple pie. Her family will carry on her culinary legacy through the recipes in her cookbook, Mom’s Best Recipes, which she created with the help of her son in law, Christopher Baerman.
She spent many summers in her gardens in Nashua, NH and on Drakes Island in Wells, ME, where she cultivated beautiful flowers and spotted every weed. Throughout her life, she also created intricately-crafted needlepoint pieces, including Christmas stockings for her son, daughter, and granddaughter, and scenes from beloved stories and travel destinations. When her children were young, she sewed their clothing. Marilyn researched her family’s genealogy extensively, discovering long lost relatives and making contact with new family members. She valued her community, and was a member of Nashua’s Good Cheer Society and King’s Daughters.
Marilyn Houseman is survived by her husband, Ronald J. Houseman; her children, Laurel Baerman and Dirk Houseman; and her granddaughter, Brooke Baerman. Her family will carry her memory and her love with them forever.
The Farwell Funeral Service, 18 Lock Street, Nashua, assisted the family with arrangements. To leave an online message of condolence, please visit www.farwellfuneralservice.com
