Marilyn Ann Biggerstaff

We mourn the loss of Marilyn Ann Biggerstaff, 78, a caring educator and librarian, born on December 28, 1945, in Oklahoma City, OK, to Leslie E. Mayes and Alta Phern (Denny) Mayes. Marilyn left her earthly body on Thursday, May 9, 2024, in Bartlesville, OK.

Marilyn grew up in Tonkawa, OK, graduating from Tonkawa High School. After high school, she attended Northern Oklahoma College and later Oklahoma State University, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education. After graduation, she moved to Nowata, OK, where she set up the kindergarten programs for Delaware and Lenapah schools. While in Nowata, she met a local gas service man, who later would become the love of her life, Joe Biggerstaff. The couple got married on November 3, 1973, in Nowata, OK. They had two children together: Adam Clay Biggerstaff and Aarika Dawn Holt.

Once she began having her children, Marilyn and her dear friend, Dorothy Gibson, started a private preschool together, A Child’s World, a successful business that the pair would run for around 15 years. The two friends also started a crafting business called “Crafted with Care,” in which the ladies would sell their sewing and other creations at craft shows and other bazaars.

Marilyn would go on to be active in the community, where she was head librarian for the Nowata City-County Library for approximately 35 years. At the Nowata City-County Library, Marilyn was instrumental in moving the library’s card catalog to digital and running the Children’s Summer Reading Program, which was quite impressive to the local youth due to the fact Marilyn made reading fun and sent the children home with a bag of goodies.

In her free time, Marilyn enjoyed baking the best cookies, crafting, working in her flower beds and strawberry patches, and of course, reading. She loved to be outdoors and loved animals, especially dogs and cats. Marilyn loved her family and enjoyed attending her grandchildren’s sports and other activities. In her later years, Marilyn also participated in the local Oklahoma Home and Community Education group in Nowata. She was truly a loving and caring individual, with the goal to help people through teaching. Marilyn will be missed by all who knew and loved her.

Marilyn is preceded in death by her parents: Leslie and Alta Mayes; and her husband: Joe Biggerstaff.

Those left to cherish the memory of Marilyn include her children: Adam Clay Biggerstaff and wife, Heather, of Stillwater, OK and Aarika Dawn Holt of Nowata, OK, her grandchildren: Westin Blake Holt and significant other, Tatum Polk of Altamont, KS, Mesa Layne Holt of Nowata, OK, and Evan James Biggerstaff of Perkins, OK; her great grandchild: Steston Holt of Altamont, KS; her brother: Larry Mayes of Oklahoma City, OK, 1 niece and nephew, as well as other family members and friends.

A memorial service for Marilyn will be held on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at 10:00 AM at the Memorial Park Cemetery in Nowata, Oklahoma. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Nowata City-County Library or donating a book to any local library. Arrangements have been trusted to the caring staff of Benjamin Funeral Service. Online condolences may be left at on the website at www.honoringmemoriesnowata.com.