Obituary of Marilyn Caldwell

Marilyn Caldwell was called home to heaven on September 9, 2025.  She was 93 years old. She was born in Indianapolis in 1932 to her parents John Fraim and Doris McCall Fraim.  After graduating from Arsenal Technical High School, she worked briefly as a secretary before marrying Edward Caldwell of Marion Center, Pennsylvania in 1952.  Together they raised six children, their family living both in Indianapolis and in Marion Center, PA.

She is survived by her six children: Cathy Hardy (Mark), Susan McCutchen (Gene), Sarah Goecke, Lori Ritcher (David), Ed Caldwell, and Joe Caldwell; her seven grandchildren: Aaron, Katie, Sam, Sarah, Rebecca, Alaina, and Robert; her four great-grandchildren Lily, Cale, Sydney, and Matthew; her sister Lucy Achgill; and several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband of 58 years Ed Caldwell, brother John Fraim, and son-in-law Chris Goecke.

Being a woman of strong Catholic faith, while raising her family Marilyn was active in her parish (St. Gabriel), involved with such activities as serving a term as Women's Club president and teaching CCD classes on Sundays after Mass.  She and Ed made many personal sacrifices in order to send their children to Catholic schools.  Both she and Ed served as Eucharistic Ministers in their retirement years.

Marilyn was an avid reader and she loved to crochet.  At family gatherings, she greatly enjoyed organizing games and distributing prizes. She was a stay-at-home mom who always put her children first.  As they got older, she was able to enjoy employment as a school library aide and as a book editor and typist for a local historian,  She was justifiably proud of her "100-pints" pin as a blood donor.

In their senior years, Marilyn and Ed were members of a musical combo who called themselves "The Ramblers." They were able to enjoy several years of performing at county fairs and for residents of senior care facilities, smilingly saying they were playing for the old people, knowing full well that they themselves qualified for that description.  Another activity they enjoyed together was working at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for several consecutive years, serving as “Yellow Shirts," performing duties such as taking tickets, giving directions, assisting lost children, and providing a safety presence.

Marilyn will be missed by all who loved her. We are comforted by our decades of memories and in the knowledge that she is peacefully at rest in the arms of Our Lord.