Marilyn June (Hudson) Secrest 86, passed away at her home, surrounded by her family, on June 15, 2025.
She was born in New Underwood, SD, on December 16, 1938 to Miles and Ruth (Reichert) Hudson, the second of five children. Marilyn was raised on Hereford flat east of Sturgis, SD and, loved riding horseback, hunting with her siblings and doing ranch work. She attended elementary school at the Hereford school, graduated from Sturgis High School in 1956 and attended Black Hills Teachers College for one semester.
On June 10, 1957, she married Thomas ‘Gene’ Secrest at the Hereford church. They left immediately for Ft. Polk, LA, where Gene was stationed with the US Army. The following year she flew to Germany, the first of many moves as the wife of a soldier. The Army years included homes in Colorado, Hawaii, Texas and California. They had four children and Marilyn held the family together when Gene was deployed to various locations and through two tours of duty in Vietnam. The family returned to Sturgis, SD, in the spring of 1974, living and working there until they moved to Spearfish, SD, in 2008.
No matter where they lived, Marilyn stayed busy – she sewed, was a Tupperware dealer, and cleaned quarters on base in the early years. In 1969, with Gene in Vietnam, she trained for and received her cosmetology license in El Paso, TX. She worked as a beautician for 25 years.
Having learned sewing skills from her grandmother, she made many of the clothes for the family; late turning that skill to award-winning quilts. Marilyn made life-long friends and great memories during trips to quilting workshops and finding interesting fabric stores throughout the years. Her creative skills were not limited to fabric arts but included knitting and crochet, macramé, photography, oil painting to name a few. Life’s landmark events, graduations, weddings, new babies, were commemorated with a handmade gift. She enjoyed the challenge of learning a new skill and sharing those skills with others.
Her bread baking skills provided fond memories of warm loaves, fresh out of the oven, or a pan of cinnamon rolls. She brought the rolls for many a holiday dinner.
Her grandchildren and great-grandchildren were an important part of her life and she enjoyed watching them grow. She always had homemade cookies on hand or a jar of jelly to send home.
Despite the many moves, animals were a big part of family life for Marilyn. There was always a dog, or two, a cat, or the rabbit that she received one Mother’s Day! Horses were added to the mix and she and Gene spent many happy years raising and riding Arabian horses. Angel was her special mare and summers were spent riding with friends in the Black Hills.
Along with family and work, Marilyn was active in the Rapid City Daughters of the Nile for over three decades, serving as the queen of the Ismah Temple in 1994 and holding various positions in Zora Club over the years. She was a member of the local quilting Guild, Knitwits, and bowled and played darts.
She is survived by her children: Marian (Wayne) Alderman of Spearfish SD; Patty Weatherford of Gillette, WY; Gene (Kim) Secrest of Spearfish SD; Roger (Sheri) Secrest of Black Hawk, SD. Eleven grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildren. Brother Tucker (Bev) Hudson of Plainview, SD, sisters Druse (Larry) Kellogg of Spearfish, SD and Ramona (Carl) Williams of Rapid City, SD. Sister-in-law Barb Hudson of Sturgis, SD and Brother-in-law Mike Carney of Sturgis, SD.
She is preceded in death by her husband, Gene Secrest; her parents, Miles and Ruth Hudson and older brother, Mike Hudson.
Marilyn has joined Gene in their final home.
In lieu flowers a memorial has been established to the Spearfish Emergency Ambulance Service.
Memorial services will be Wednesday, June 25, 2025, 1:30 p.m. at Kinkade Funeral Chapel, with visitation one hour prior. Burial will follow at Black Hills National Cemetery.
Condolences may be left for the family at www.kinkadefunerals.com.
