Marilyn Hope Kanefield

Marilyn (Lynn) Hope Kanefield died after a long term bout with cancer and Parkinson’s disease on Thursday, December 26, 2019. She was loved and treasured by her husband Don of sixty years and extended family. She was a woman of fine morals; compassionate and charitable; and beloved by her many dear friends.

Lynn was born in Evansville, Indiana on February 4, 1938, to Bernard Henry and Rose Tureen. She was raised in St. Louis, Missouri, where she attended Stephens College and graduated with a B.A. from Washington University, where in 1959 she met a young medical student named Donald Gene Kanefield. They would marry later that year and spend the next ten years in Missouri, Ohio and Nebraska. They eventually settled in Arizona in 1969, and raised their three children in North Central Phoenix.

For almost three decades, Lynn taught kindergarten at a small private school in Phoenix, Arizona, using an experience-based curriculum that values purposeful learning. She kept in touch with many of her former students (and parents) who fondly remember “Mrs. Kanefield” and the amazing educational foundation she provided them. She recently authored a book on her teaching experiences and methods titled, “Please Don’t Sign Me Up for First Grade”.

Despite her many accomplishments, she valued and adored her family more than anything else. She was never more happy than when they were together. She will be sorely missed and remembered by her husband and best friend Don, their children Ken (Sue), Vicki (Saul), and Joe (Marcie); her brother Tom, as well as her six grandchildren (Max, Alyssa, Jacob, Sam, Noah and Betsy); and her thirteen nieces, nephews, grand nieces and grand nephews.

In lieu of flowers, we suggest donations to the American Cancer Society.