Marian Marsalis

A Celebration of Life for Mrs. Marian Williams Marsalis, 79, of Lafayette, LA and West Monroe, LA, will be held at 2:00 PM on October 5, 2019, at Mulhearn Funeral Home in West Monroe, LA. Visitation will be held from 12:00 PM until 2:00 PM on the same day. Interment will follow shortly thereafter at New Chapel Hill Baptist Church Cemetery. The service will be officiated by the Rev. Tim Williams and the Dr. Woods Watson.

Marian’s story begins in West Monroe, LA on October 13, 1939, when she was born to Perry and Irene Williams whom she worshipped and loved with all her heart. She joined her older brother Rev. Earl Williams and her soon to be younger brother Rev. John Williams to become a part of a wonderful tight-knit family in the Drew Community. She surrendered her life to Christ at an early age at New Chapel Hill Baptist Church and as an adult served her church community as secretary and treasurer for many years as well as serving on many of the church’s committees. As a family, we never got to skip church on a Sunday morning, Sunday evening, or Wednesday night, ever. She was ALL in.

At the age of 19, Marian began a vibrant and successful career in the banking industry. She started as a teller and worked her way up to hold the titles of loan officer, commercial loan officer, director of REI, head of commercial lending, and chief policy officer with several different banks over a span of 46 years. She taught us and reminded us regularly of proper savings, never overspending, and always planning ahead for the rainy days that did come even though we didn’t believe her. She was a very strong-willed woman and never let anyone or anything put a road block in her way. If she was ever told “No” by anyone, her response was always “Well, we’ll just see about that!!” In her spare time, she loved to travel and entertain friends and family. She loved playing cards and was a vicious Rook player. She also put a lot of time and energy into her and her husband’s favorite pastime of genealogy and has left our family with a beautiful legacy that will be passed down for generations to come. Marian felt grateful to the Lord for her success and took the time to seek out those in her community who were in need and helped as many families as she could.

Mrs. Marsalis is survived by her loving husband of 30 years, William E. Marsalis. She is also survived by her three children, Lori Mitchell (Matt), Sandra Robinson, Darren Harrell (Amy) and her three stepchildren Paige Gill (Eric), Jennifer DesOrmeaux (Floyd), and Eric Marsalis (Kazumi) and 13 grandchildren, 6 great grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.

And so, the story continues through those she has left behind and those that will come after and through her. We miss you and love you, Mom. Until we meet again……

In lieu of flowers, Marian would love for you to find someone in need and pay it
forward.