Marilyn was born in Warren, Ohio, on March 24, 1932, to Fred and Lenore Bonar. After graduating from high school in 1950, she attended Kent State University, where she earned a BA and a teaching certificate. While a freshman, she met fellow student James (Jim) Sanders, and after a whirlwind five-year courtship they were married in 1955 and moved to Ithaca, New York, where Marilyn taught fourth grade until the birth of their first child in 1959. In 1962, Jim accepted a position in the Physics Department at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. They bought a home in Carmel Valley, where Marilyn raised four daughters and participated in community service. She served as Education Director for St. Dunstan's Episcopal Church, was a Girl Scouts leader, served a term as president of the Cherry Foundation, helped resettle Vietnamese and Polish immigrants, and for many years was the curator for a well-know Peninsula photographer. She was a generous friend and often provided compassionate care for friends with illnesses or addictions or had fallen on hard times. For instance, she took into her home a homeless friend until she could be moved into an assisted-living facility, and later the young adult daughter of a friend who had died. She had a deep interest in art, religions, and history and spent time travelling throughout Europe to visit cathedrals, churches and other religious sites. She also wrote "Rosey and his Cracker Barrel," documenting an oral history of Carmel Valley's early days and its memorable residents. This book was number one on the Peninsula's bestseller list for several months. Marilyn is survived and much missed by Jim, her husband of 63 years, her daughters Kathy, Maria, Renee, and Ariane Thomsen, and her grandchildren Christina and Alexander Thomsen.