Marilyn was born in Columbus, Ohio, in 1931. Marilyn’s sister and brother-in-law moved to Oregon and, after they moved, Marilyn came to Oregon frequently to visit them. On one visit, Marilyn’s sister Ruthie set her up on a blind date with Ronald Christie. Marilyn’s sister told her that Ron was really cute and he had even modeled for Meier and Frank. They hit it off and began dating long distance. After dating for a while, Ron proposed to Marilyn during a visit over dinner. She told him she needed some time to think before she said yes, so she returned to Columbus. After a few weeks, she called Ron and asked when he was coming to visit her, and in the course of the conversation accepted his proposal. Marilyn and Ron exchanged many letters during their courtship and she even received her engagement ring via mail. They were married on January 15th, 1955.
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