Marilyn Ruth Flint

Marilyn Ruth (Means) Flint, a resident of Knoxville, TN and formerly of Wakefield, MA,  passed away peacefully on Tuesday, October 10, 2023, with some of her family lovingly by her side in Knoxville, TN, at age 86.

Born November 30, 1936 in Melrose, MA, daughter of the late Richard “Dick” and Ruth Means, Marilyn lived a wonderful adventurous life in Wakefield, MA with her siblings, Robert and Cindy. The Means family spent many summers in the Lakes Region of NH, camping in the White Mountains and spending time at Dick and Ruth’s camp house on Newfound Lake. It was on those trips with her family and the family of her high school sweetheart who lived across the street from the Means that she fell in love with the outdoors and her future husband, John “Jack” L. Flint.

Marilyn loved helping at girls’ camps and after graduating from Bridgewater State University, she found her passion as a teacher of young children, especially those with special needs. She became an early champion for change in school systems to better support and accommodate special needs children. Marilyn was a lover of all children.

She married Jack, a Navy veteran and engineer for Raytheon in Wayland/Sudbury, MA. Together, they raised two sons, David and Daniel. Marilyn never remarried after her divorce in the mid-1980s, remaining extremely close to family, living in Schenectady, NY, Alton Bay, NH, Spencer, MA, and Knoxville, TN. After seeing her eldest son’s boys grow up, she moved to TN to be near her youngest son and be part of her two youngest grandchildren’s adventures. After more than a decade, she began to call both Tennessee and New England “home.” The forests, rivers, mountains, small animals and birds, and the change of the seasons calmed her spirit. While at home, she loved crafts, puzzles, games, novels, and an occasional glass of wine and bowl of sherbet.

Marilyn lived through her heart and the hearts of everyone for whom she cared. Her kind, gentle, empathetic, and compassionate nature endeared her to all. She never forgot a birthday or a special day in someone’s life. A kinder soul would be challenging to find, naturally masterful at providing emotional support and motivation wherever she saw it needed. Marilyn epitomized a woman with gentleness, humility, grace, ‘proper manners’, and intense loyalty to friends and family.

She is survived by her brother, Robert Means and his wife Beverly of Schenectady, NY; sister, Cindy Mitchell and her late husband Everett of Alton Bay, NH; two sons, David Flint and his wife Jean of Spencer, MA, and Daniel Flint and his fiancé Abigail Wegman of Knoxville, TN; five grandchildren, Dan, Chris, and Brian Flint all of Spencer, MA, Ryan Flint of Arlington, VA, and Spencer Flint of Wichita Falls, TX, and two great-grandchildren, Hailey and Ayla.

Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to gather in honor of Marilyn’s life for visiting hours at the Robinson Funeral Home, 809 Main St., Melrose, MA on Wednesday, Oct. 18 from 9-10am, followed by her Memorial Service at 10am. Interment in Lakeside Cemetery, Wakefield.

In lieu of flowers and honoring Marilyn’s spirit of supporting children with disabilities, please consider donations to The Arc, National Center for Learning Disabilities, or the Special Olympics. Alternatively, feel free to plant a tree in her memory.