Obituaries, July 15, 2025
Marilynn Sue Clark, Merlaya Esther Heckman, Lori Legg
Marilynn Sue Clark
Marilynn Sue Clark of Kokomo went on to be with Jesus, in the early morning of July 11, 2025.
She was surrounded by the love of family, as she entered her Heavenly home.
Marilynn was born July 26, 1947, near New London, IN, to Gerald and Mary (Burris). Marilynn was the youngest of the Reed sisters, and she had many brothers as well.
Marilynn married Ulric F. Clark from Texas, February 19, 1966. This began their adventures in traveling, seeing and discovering God’s beautiful world. She saw places that as a child she had only known in storybooks.
Marilynn began her faith as a child of God. She attended several country churches in her formative years. She attended New Liberal Church of God pastored by Rev. Carl Guy. She also studied at Western Schools, receiving her diploma in 1965. Marilynn loved learning, reading, and writing especially creative stories. She was very interested in foreign languages and perfecting English grammar. This love was helpful as she attended college classes in Weatherford, TX, and the University of Maryland in Okinawa, Japan. It was there she studied the Japanese language, which has seven different alphabets.
Marilynn spent her working years assisting Ulric in his travel near and far. She was his navigator and professional map interpreter, as no GPS existed back then. Marilynn also worked at a small newspaper in Springtown, TX, The Epigraph. Again, this was work she loved. Marilynn’s best job, however, was being a mom and teacher to her daughter. She shared her faith with her daughter and set her on a course of becoming a follower of Jesus. She also loved being Ulric’s wife, and through the years they grew in faith and supported each other with an unconditional love that set an example.
Marilynn is survived by her husband Ulric and their daughter Adriane (Dan) Freeman. In addition, she is survived by five grandchildren Samuel (Megan) Freeman, Heidi (Adam) Neher, Jensen (Gradon) McFarland, Adriana (Solon) Bartrum, and Zara Freeman.
Marilynn has four great-grandchildren Medeski and Marvin Neher and Marlee and Josie Freeman. Marilynn had many nieces and nephew whom she dearly loved. She is also survived by one sister Dianna G. Hickey and sister-in-law Vickie Reed.
Marilynn is preceded in death by her parents, and brothers Richard Reed, David “Doc” (Mary) Reed, Gary Reed, (Jeanie), Norman Reed, Norbert Reed (Jeanetta), and Tom Reed. Sisters who preceded her in death are Donna (John) Etherington, Delores (Jim) Majors, and Christine (Jimmy) Prater. One brother-in-law preceded her in death, Paul Hickey.
Friends are invited to visit with the family at 11 a.m. on Thursday, July 17, 2025, at Stout & Son Funeral Home, 200 E. Main St., Russiaville. A graveside service celebrating Marilynn’s life will follow at 12 p.m. in South Union Cemetery.
Merlaya Esther Heckman
Merlaya Esther Heckman, 91, of Greentown, Indiana, passed away on July 7, 2025. She was born on February 10, 1934, in Amboy, Indiana, the daughter of James M. and Mary (Landrum) Pence.
She loved sewing, cooking, and spending time with her family.
Left to cherish her memory are her children Douglas (Angela) Heckman and Daniel (Carrie) Heckman, grandchildren James, Matthew, Jennifer, Timothy (Jenny), Benjamin (Patrisha), Jacob (Christine), Michael (Jamie), James (Rachel), Sara (Matt), and Kayla, great-grandchildren Grayden, Madison, Brooklyn, Dailynn, Palmer, Lillian, Jacob, Magnolia, Jaxton, Cohen, Harper, Avery, Eli, and Cove, and sisters Dorothy, Betty, and Joanna.
She was preceded in death by her parents, husband James, two sisters, and two brothers.
Visitation will take place at Sunset Memory Garden Funeral Home, 2097 W. Alto Road, Kokomo on Saturday, July 19, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. until the start of funeral services at 11:30 a.m. Entombment will follow at Kokomo Memorial Park.
Lori Legg
Lori Legg, 66, of Murrieta, California, passed from her earthly life to her eternal heavenly life on July 6, 2025. She was born and raised in Tipton, Indiana, by Phil and LaKeita (Ricketts) Legg on August 14, 1958, and was baptized at Kemp United Methodist Church.
Born with a heart defect requiring a surgical repair at age 13, Lori overcame the challenges of a major post-surgery stroke that fortunately didn’t prevent her from going on to live a full and productive life. After graduation from Tipton High School in 1977, she worked at Stokely’s and babysat for a number of local families before moving to Indianapolis.
In 2014, Lori retired from the Hilton Hotel Corporation after 25 years of dedicated service. With her strong work ethic, she was frequently awarded Employee of the Month as well as Employee of the Year.
Lori enjoyed adventures, especially cruising, road trips, and train travel, be it local, cross-country, or international, and she often organized social gatherings with her community of friends in Riverside County, California. Over the years, she attended Christian church services in Indiana and in Southern California. Being enamored by sunrises, sunsets, the moon, stars, and clouds, Lori was always sky gazing! As an animal lover, she was a beloved pet sitter in her retirement and strong advocate for pet adoption.
She is survived by her dad Phil of Menifee, California, sister Shawn and her husband Constantinos of Simi Valley, California, and brother Darrin of Fallbrook, California. Also surviving are several nephews, nieces, aunts, uncles, cousins, and the many friends Lori collected along the way. She was preceded in death by her mom, her grandparents, and Macy, her cherished pup.
A Celebration of Life will be held in California by her local community of friends. There will also be a celebration held by her family on Wednesday, September 3, at The Shack in Tipton from 6:00–8:00 p.m. Burial will be in Fairview Cemetery at a later date.
Memorial donations may be sent to either the Humane Society of Tipton County, P.O. Box 237, Tipton, Indiana, 46072 or the Philip and LaKeita Legg Fund through the Tipton County Foundation, 1020 W. Jefferson St. Tipton, Indiana, 46072.