Marilyn Miller Fletcher

Marilyn Miller Fletcher, 89, passed away on January 2, 2021, in Columbia, SC. Born in 1931 in Oil City, LA, to James Fred Miller and Marie Thomas Miller, Marilyn moved with her parents to Wright, TX, Oak Ridge, TN, Baraboo, WI and finally, to Lexington, KY. In Lexington, Marilyn graduated from Lafayette High School, where she was inducted into the Alumni Association's Hall of Fame in 1996, and she attended the University of Kentucky. Also in Lexington, she met and married the love of her life, John Preston "Jack" Fletcher. Marilyn and Jack made their home in South Charleston, West Virginia. She graduated from West Virginia State University in 1963 with a bachelor's degree in Education.

Marilyn was a true trailblazer and role model. At a time when few women worked outside the home, she built a successful career in broadcasting in Charleston, first as an on-air personality as the host "Miss Marilyn" on the tri-state Romper Room children's show on WCHS, and then as Women's Director on WSAZ-TV. Her hard work earned her a position as the first woman to serve as Operations Manager of WTIP-WTIO radio. Her love of broadcasting culminated in becoming Executive Director of the West Virginia Broadcasters Association (WVBA), a position she held for 16 years. Under her leadership the association grew from a small organization operating out of the family basement to an active non-profit with its own office building in South Charleston. She served as the first female President of the WV Society of Association Executives in 1987, and as Secretary of the national Broadcast Executive Directors Association. During her tenure at the WVBA, Marilyn organized and ran a statewide telethon to raise badly needed funds for victims of a major flood that had affected the state. For this, and her many other broadcasting accomplishments, she was awarded the Distinguished West Virginian Award by the Governor in 1987. The WVBA leadership surprised her with its Mel Burka Distinguished Broadcaster Award in 1992 before her retirement. In 2006, she was inducted into the WV Broadcasting Hall of Fame and recognized for her contributions to WV radio and television.

Marilyn also had great musical talent, as a singer and pianist. She was active in the Charleston Light Opera Guild, acting, singing, and stage managing multiple musical theater productions. Marilyn also sang in church choirs, and sang in and directed the Charleston Symphony Singers.
Upon her retirement, Marilyn and Jack moved to Sun City Hilton Head in Bluffton, SC, where she started Sun City's own television station, sang in the Sun City Chorus and directed the Sun City Singers. In 2011 they moved to Wildewood Downs in Columbia, SC. Her family is forever grateful for the loving care and companionship she received from Javonda White and Primavera Jeter after Marilyn's dementia diagnosis.

Although Marilyn was publicly recognized for her many professional accomplishments, her greatest legacy and the roles she was proudest of and found the most joy in were as a devoted wife for almost 69 years to Jack, as the source of inspiration, encouragement, and unconditional love to their daughters Jackie and Nancy, and as a loving Nana to their grandson Colin.

Marilyn is survived by her husband Jack Fletcher, of Columbia, SC, her daughters Jackie Fletcher Breland of Columbia, SC and Nancy Fletcher Lowe of Cary, NC, sons-in-law Edwin Breland and Quinn Lowe, her beloved grandson Colin Lowe, brother James Kenneth "Ken" Miller and sister-in-law Beverly Carroll Miller of Muncie, IN, brother-in-law William Fletcher and sister-in-law Allene Bach Fletcher of Lexington, KY, and nieces and nephews Ellen Miller Chauvin, James Chadwick "Chad" Miller, Jennifer Fletcher Nagle, and William Fletcher, Jr.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Alzheimer's Association (www.alz.org).