I only got to know you because we were housemates. You were the chillest and funnest person I knew then. So carefree and so freely giving of love and care to whoever you met. I got to see first hand how much you cared for and loved your children. You'd do anything for them and I hope they know. You loved your partner and when he passed on, it broke you. You tried to start again in NY and despite all the hurdles you ce.across, you kept up hope. You were a very independent and free spirited person that you had to live life on your own terms. You were a brave woman even though your life ended much too soon. I miss you and hope/ pray that you are finally at peace, rejoicing and awaiting the next meeting with your loves ones. 

When I was in school as a child. My father would always send me to Marilyn when I needed help with my homework. Marilyn would always tell me to go play and finish my assignments. I miss you. I love you. You are not alone.

It is amzaing how we take some many things for granted.... i never thought that this day would come that i would be talking about you in the past a time gone by.....the pain is real and ever so painful and i know that the Lord will heal all our hearts but right now it feels just right to be sad..... i remember the day your dad rested like it was yesterday.... we heard the accident from our house and thought it was somebody else.... only to get the phone call with you crying on the other end.... it was the school holidays....that evening when my mum came home from the shop we came over and i remember your mum talking to us both and telling us that we wre family and no matter what we had to stick together we had had a fight before school closed..... i was thinking on Lord why did this have to happen now....we walked such a similar path..... do you remember the many times we skived from our houses to go to Bubbles and Carnivore thinking that our mother's never knew.... GREASE.... does anybody out there remember that crazy weekend at my house.... i talked about it with Cheryl yesterday and it just left me wondering what kind of a child was i????.....then you left in 1991 and we kept writing letters hoping that i would come to California and it was not be .......many years passed and in 2001 we reconnected when i called Shiku during her baby shower and all those years just rolled away and it was like wow we were 18 again.... my small cousin was going to be a mummy............. facebook was great we reconnected and i knew something was weighing on your mind but you were not ready to tell me and i was just happy to have you poke me daily until we agreed to write to each other every week.... when you went to be with the Lord was my turn to write to you...... i still have your last poke on my page and i cant help but wonder what was on your mind...... fare thee well and rest away from complications.....so until we meet again.... be blessed honey

One of the many memories I have of Marilyn was during our famous Form Three half-term Nakuru Trip. Due to a turn of events, some of us ended up having to catch a matatu to meet up with the rest of the students and the teachers who were waiting for us in Nakuru. I think there were about 10 or 12 of us who rode the matatu that day, Marilyn included. Marilyn made the trip even more eventful. She was so excited about the whole journey and was so content on getting to our destination, come rain or shine, and she wasen't going to let anything stand in our way(thats just the kind of friend she was, very dedicated). I remember Marilyn had to sit in the front passenger seat alongside 2 other passengers, including the driver, since she was the smallest one of us. The music was blaring so loud and I remember the song 'Secret Rendezvous' by Karen White blasting so loudly in our ears...oh my gosh. I remember there was a moment when I was looking at the road ahead of us and seeing the beautiful sunset and thinking to myself...Oh My Gosh..what are we doing???? I remember Marilyn complaining about one of the passengers in the front, I think he had a funky smell or something and he kept bothering her...oh my Lord!!! But nevertheless, we all kept a look out for each other making sure none of us was being taken advantage of by the matatu conductors or the other passengers. Our source of communication was by shouting loudly to each other even though we were scattered in different seats in the matatu. We didn't care what anyone thaught, all we cared about was getting to Nakuru and that we were all O.K. The passengers were not at all delighted at us, and their faces told it all...utter disgust. They probably thaught we were some rich spoiled clueless city girls on a weekend joy-ride...too funny!!! And then to add on to everything, there was a point when the matatu stopped in the middle of the Nakuru-Naivasha road, amid darkness, to change the tires. We got so scared that we decided to get out of the matatu to make sure nothing fishy was going on and at which time we decided to take a photo-op...Crazy!!! It was a trip that none of us will ever forget. Marilyn was one of those loyal and honest friends a person could have, it was part of her nature. She had a warm heart and a subtle strong spirit and I will miss her dearly.

My dear Marilyn, my daughter's best friend. How I will miss your sweet smile and twinkling eyes I have known since you were a little girl in preschool. Ever since I met your mom waiting for you to come out of class in your school uniform, our families have walked the same path in life. We share so many fond memories. There were too many sleepovers to count, but do you remember the Msongari girls' pajama party at our house? The highlight of the evening was the Michael Jackson performance. What a "Thriller" that was! You were the life of the party! As your light shined so brightly here on earth, so shall it shine like the sun in God's heavenly place. Rest, my dear one, and know that your lively spirit will live on in your young children.

I am thinking of you. Can't stop.... I went to Tilden park in Berkeley, and found a little farm for kids, I also found a carousel out in the middle of the woods.....I remember us taking nature walks looking at the different plants, insects....I remember once we were walking through the Shamba with mom and you picked a hot red pepper and broke it open and told me to put it up my nose.....gggggrrhhh...you know I will never forget that. I think I got you back when I chased you around the house with my tortoise...lol.....How I remember watching you on stage with all of your friends in Kismet... I knew then that I was destined to be an actor.....your inspiration to be free, to believe, and to look at the good in everyone and everything no matter what. Hey....remember racing? running up the stairs or swimming laps...then yelling out SHINDA! lol!! well I guess you made it SHINDA. You won! I will meet you at the finish line when I get done.

I went to Msongari with Marilyn but lost touch with her when i returned to Uganda sometime in the 80s. We met up again last year on FB and Marilyn was still the same cheerful, positive, warm person she was waaay back. We picked up where we left off and it was like we'd been in touch all these years! Although we never got to talk on the phone (i kept telling myself i would ask for her number and call her.. but didn't) we emailed each other back and forth. On the day she passed we were going back and forth about how cute her kids were and how her son thought my little 5 month old was cute and kept asking her if she'd show him her picture. "Let's set up a play date so they can meet..and it'd give me an excuse to come see you in NYC after an ice-age!" .. and her last words to me were "see you in NY!"... so i was totally shocked to find out hours later, via a txt msg from our mutual friend, Rachel, that Marilyn had passed away!! My heart is heavy because i didn't make that phone call... and because she was taken away from us too soon. We wanted her here longer but God wanted her more. May she rest in peace and may her family find strength and comfort knowing she is in a beautiful place and that we will all see her again one day. May her memory live on in her beautiful children.... her family and friends everywhere. RIP MK.