Marilyn Callahan

VERO BEACH, Fla. – Marilyn Callahan passed away peacefully on Mother’s Day, May 10, 2026, at the age of 97.

Born in Gorham, Maine, Marilyn was an entrepreneur at heart in an era when women weren’t expected to be. She married John Callahan and, over 50 years, they built an active life together. A full-size beauty parlor in the family home, antique shop, mall cart, retail store, always together with John. He was the more conservative one. History vindicated Marilyn’s ideas for new business ventures.

She was a great mother without trying. She was warm, present, and trusting. She was always home when the kids walked through the door. Not because it was required. Because she wanted to be.

Marilyn was an artist. She painted landscapes of the Maine coast, colorful fruit arranged on a plate, or outside vistas that captured her interest. She cooked legendary fish chowder and a delicious lasagna her children adored. She was sharp-minded and a spitfire who’d finish your sentence at 97 and remember things you’d rather she forgot. Music was always a reliable companion. If a song was really good, she’d say, “Well, that was awful good.”

She was kind to everyone, genuinely interested in people, and impossible not to like. She was awful good.

She is survived by her three children, Paul Callahan, Steve Callahan and his wife Amy, and Trish Eulenfeld. She is also survived by her grandchildren, John Callahan, Emily Umanzor Callahan, Paul Callahan, and Ryan Callahan; and her great-granddaughter, Emma Callahan.

A Celebration of Life will be held this summer in Portland, Maine.