Gordon and Friedl Miller welcomed baby Marilyn Miller into the world on August 7, 1949 in Pasco Washington. Marilyn had an older brother, Klaus, who traveled from Germany with his mother to start a new life in America after Gordon fell in love with her. He was an American soldier in Germany during World War II and they married before returning to America. Early in their marriage they lived on a tight budget. Gordon, who worked as a clerk in a grocery store, was finishing his studies in mathematics at Gonzaga University. Gordon graduated in 1952 and pursued studies in computer science and nuclear engineering. His family moved frequently, allowing Gordon to climb the ladder in the nuclear field. When Marilyn was starting the second grade, Gordon had found stable work in Livermore, California.
Marilyn flourished in the small town of Livermore, which was largely comprised of an interesting combination of cowboys and scientists. Marilyn Miller, with her kindness and generosity, made many friends in Livermore. She spent her free time practicing hobbies including playing the flute and twirling batons. Marilyn graduated Livermore High School in 1967 and made plans to be a Music Major at Cal State Hayward (now Cal State East Bay).
Doug Torres first spotted Marilyn during a choir class at the University and it was love at first sight. Marilyn and Doug dated for just two years before getting married in December of 1969. Marilyn would go on to graduate from Cal State Hayward in 1971.
After their wedding, Doug and Marilyn Torres lived in Castro Valley for a short time. They later bought a house in Fremont. Their first child, Jennifer, was born in April of 1973 followed by their son, Christopher in December of 1977. Throughout their early childhood, Marilyn was a stay at home mom while Doug worked as a full time elementary school teacher and part time classical guitar instructor at three Bay Area community colleges. Her children have fond memories of her attending to the home while listening to catchy tunes. Some of her favorites were by Petula Clark, The Beach Boys, and The Carpenters. When they started school, she still made sure they had a hot-lunches daily. Christopher remembers how she would hold him while he struggled through asthma treatments to calm him. When he got ear infections, she rocked him to sleep. Thankfully, the children were healthy the majority of the time so my Marilyn could take them to all kinds of fun events, performances, baseball games, and classes at the Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. They would often walk around Lake Elizabeth in Fremont together or go to the San Francisco Zoo. Later on, when both her children were grown and had their own families, they would all visit the zoo together for her birthday.
Marilyn loved animals. She had a consistent menagerie of pets throughout her life. She had pet rabbits, birds, fish, St. Bernard dogs, and Appaloosa horses. Although her favorite were her dogs. In her life she cared for ten St. Bernard’s. She filled her empty nest by owning two big dogs at a time.
Marilyn deeply enjoyed being a grandmother and she was “Granny” to all of her grandchildren. In total she had thirteen grandchildren. Ten from Jennifer’s family (Berkeley, Savannah, Travis, Dakota, Jackson, Rio, Alton, Diego, Aurora, and Brighton) as well as three kids from Chris (Rosaleia, Lilianya, and Leonis). In addition to her grandkids, she basically adopted her children’s spouses. Chris’ wife Meghan and Jennifer’s husband John were loved as her own children and she enjoyed having close relationships with both of them. She was a kind mother and grandmother to everyone. She always made sure that each one of her grandchildren were showered in love and affection. Even though remembering what all thirteen grandchildren liked was a challenge, she made the effort and kept track of what their individual interests were. They all enjoyed talking to her at family gatherings and were sad when her health interfered with her ability to visit.
Unfortunately, Marilyn developed diabetes in her forties and the disease took its toll on her quality of life. By the time her children hit their late teenage years she had given up playing the flute. Constant monitoring and regulation of her illness was too taxing for her to maintain her skill. Over the years diabetes slowly encroached upon her joys and quality of life. As the years passed, she had to relinquish her frequent visits to the opera, ballet, symphony, and baseball games. The last to be sacrificed was her favorite: visiting her grandchildren.
Marilyn Torres collapsed from a heart attack in her Fremont residence of 50+ years on March 20, 2025. Despite the extensive efforts by first responders and Emergency Room staff, she was not able to be saved. She was 75 years old at the time of passing. Doug Torres, her devoted husband of 55 years, handled her final arrangements. Marilyn Torres was buried with her piccolo and photos of her dogs at the Callaghan Mortuary in Livermore a few steps away from the gravesites of her parents.