10-19-2020
Choike, Marilyn
Marilyn Choike, 78, was born on September 12, 1942, in Detroit, MI, to Arthur and Mildred Dudek and passed away in Tulsa, OK, on October 19, 2020. She was the oldest of three children born to Arthur and Mildred Dudek. She completed a BA in American History at the University of Detroit, along with a secondary teaching certificate. She also attended Oklahoma State University where she completed the course work for a master's degree in Sociology. Marilyn and Jim Choike married on July 23, 1966. To this union, three children were born: George, Joanna, and Catherine. The Choikes moved to Stillwater in 1970 when Jim accepted a teaching position in the Mathematics Department at OSU. From 1981 to 2003, Marilyn taught American History at the Stillwater Middle School, where she was selected Middle School Teacher of the Year in 1988 and 1996. In 1990, she was chosen as a faculty leader to accompany a group of middle schoool students who traveled to Kameoka, Japan, as part of Stillwater's inaugural sister city school exchange program. She was also the teacher-sponsor for 14 Spring Break trips to Europe for Stillwater students and their family members. After she retired, she worked as an adjunct in the OSU College of Education where she shared her teaching experiences with students preparing to become secondary-level social sciences teachers. Marilyn was predeceased by her parents. Surviving her are her husband, Jim, her three children, several grandchildren, her brother, Arthur Dudek, and her sister, Carol Fitzpatrick.