Marjorie Mae Killian

Marjorie Mae Scholes Killian, 90, of Shelley, Idaho, passed away on April 7th, 2024 at her son’s home in Ammon with family by her side. The family would like to thank the team at Enhabit Hospice for their support and care given during her last years.

Marj was born on March 7, 1934 to Walter Adams Scholes and Gladys Beatrice Alice Keveren in the red brick home where they lived in River Heights near Logan, UT.  She was the first child blessed in the River heights LDS church that had just been built after the old one burned down. Her dad was the bishop there.

She was the youngest in her family and grew up with 2 brothers and 2 sisters. A few years later they moved to Rigby, Idaho. She started school at the age of 6 and would ride to school in a covered wagon. As a child she loved playing in the mud, herding the pigs, swimming in the canal, climbing trees and reading. She graduated from Rigby High School in 1952, proud to be on the Honor Roll. She was one of only 8 other girls in the state of Idaho to earn the State Homemaker degree.

She married her high school sweetheart, Ronald Part Killian, on April 2, 1952 in the Idaho Falls Temple. The following year their first son was born and shortly after that Ron’s draft number came up. When he went to get on the bus his leader saw Marj holding their newborn son and told Ron he could go home.  They lived in Rigby, Moses Lake, and Ammon before finally settling in Shelley in 1969 to raise their 7 children.

She worked in the kitchen for the Shelley School District for 19 years. When she learned the world record for potato peeling was held by a team in the Netherlands, she proclaimed that the record should be in Idaho! She gathered her friends and their team of 5 earned their place in the Guinness Book of Records on 19 Sept 1992 at the 64th annual Idaho Spud Day celebration in Shelley. Her claim to fame led to her being a guest on various television programs, including Live with Regis and Kathy Lee where she met and befriended` Arnold Schwarzenegger and Dom DeLuise.

Marj was very active in her church and served for 60 years in the scouting program. She was happiest when serving others. Her other hobbies were gardening, crochet, embroidery, sewing and tatting. She decorated her home for every holiday and made fresh donuts every halloween. She made baby quilts for nearly all of her many grandchildren. She was an amazing grandma. The last years of her life she took turns staying in the homes of each of her children and called herself the “traveling grandma!” She loved spending time with all of her family.

Marj was preceded in death by the love of her life, Ron; both of her parents; and her in-laws, Ronald and Edna Killian; her brothers Kay, Ernest, and David, her sisters Beatrice and Virginia, and their spouses, as well as a great-grandchild Kenna Hansen. She is survived by her seven marvelous children and their spouses, Ron (Anna) Killian, Dean (Eni) Killian, Mark (Cindy) Killian, Ronda (Manual) Ramirez, Ruth (Michael) Williams, Darren (Ruthan) Killian, and Val (Kendra) Killian. She has 35 grandchildren, 54 great-grandchildren, and 2 great-great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 A.M. Saturday, April 13, 2024 at the Shelley 10^th Ward (Woodville) building (1555 North 700 East). The family will receive friends Friday evening from 6:00 till 7:30 P.M at Nalder Funeral Home, 110 West Oak Street, in Shelley and Saturday from 9:30 till 10:45 A.M. at the church. Burial will be in the Rigby Pioneer Cemetery.