Marilyn Carlisle, 84, of North Miami, Florida, passed away on September 22, 2022, after a long battle with dementia.

Marilyn was born on April 20, 1938 in the Bronx, New York, and grew up in an apartment above her family’s tailor shop. After graduating from Taft High School at the young age of sixteen, she moved to Florida to attend the University of Miami, where she met and married Gene Carlisle. They had two children, Sharon and David, and began traveling often.

An artist, Marilyn was passionate about both art and education. She persisted in taking college courses, finally earning her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Miami in 1984. Her favorite mediums were charcoal and pastels, but she also enjoyed painting. Her body of work includes abstracts, still lives, religious art, and portraiture. One of her favorite trips was with her daughter Sharon to France, where they explored Paris, visited the Louvre, and took a train to the Van Gogh estate in Auvers-sur-Oise.  In midlife, Marilyn tackled the challenge of managing an apartment building. She painted the building’s trim in turquoise, one of her favorite colors.

In addition to art and traveling, Marilyn loved gardening and nature. She enjoyed listening to the wind in the trees, bird song, and the sounds of the canal behind her house. She was also a woman of strong faith and referred to herself as the “spiritual matriarch” of the family.

Marilyn is survived by her sister, Carol Goodkin; daughter Sharon Wilkerson (Henry) and son David Carlisle; grandchildren Stephen Carlisle, Brenda Clay (Taylor), Debra Conn (Lance), and Kevin Wilkerson (Stefanie); and great-grandchildren Sophia, Eden, Iris, Calvin, and Wrenley. She is preceded in death by her parents, Sam and Jenny Melzer; sister Phyllis Levish; and granddaughter Diana Carlisle.

Private Services to be held on Thursday, October 27, 2022 at Boyd-Panciera Family Funeral Care, 1600 N. University Drive, Pembroke Pines, Florida 33024.

Followed by Graveside Service at Hollywood Memorial Gardens North, 3001 N. 72nd Avenue, Hollywood, Florida 33024.

In lieu of flowers, her family requests donations be made in her name to either:

Alzheimers Association at https://www.alz.org or dementia/Alzheimers association of your choice.