Marilyn Eason

Marilyn Eason passed away peacefully on December 31, 2025 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She was born on June 25, 1927, to Denny and Basil Hoag and spent her childhood in Texarkana, Arkansas. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, where she met her husband, Al. Marilyn and Al were married in 1949, two weeks after her college graduation, and made their home in Fayetteville, Arkansas. In 2000, they relocated to Bermuda Run, North Carolina.

Marilyn was a faithful Christian throughout her life. As a child, she was a member of St. James Episcopal Church in Texarkana, Texas, where she and Al were married. After moving to Fayetteville, they joined Central United Methodist Church, where they were active members for more than 50 years. Following their relocation to North Carolina in 2000, they became members of Clemmons United Methodist Church in Clemmons.

Marilyn served her community through a wide variety of activities, including her membership in P.E.O., a national philanthropic organization, where she served as president of her local chapter; her active involvement as an alumna and chapter advisor for Pi Beta Phi at the University of Arkansas; and her leadership role with the organization now known as the Washington Regional Medical Center Auxiliary. She was particularly proud of her success in raising the funds necessary for the hospital to purchase a blood recycling machine, which she was told substantially improved outcomes for many critically ill patients.

Marilyn and Al Eason were happily married for 67 years, until Al’s passing in 2016. Marilyn was a devoted and committed partner who assisted Al in building First Federal Savings and Loan Association of Fayetteville, a bank founded by Al to help finance homes for servicemen returning from World War II. Al was also president of Eason & Company, an independent insurance agency founded in 1888 by his grandfather, John Thomas Eason.

Marilyn was devoted to her family and was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She is survived by her daughter, Melinda Eason Knight, and her husband, Dr. Thomas Knight, of Miramar Beach, Florida; her son, Stephen Alcuin Eason, and his wife, Kathryn, of Durham, North Carolina; five grandchildren—Dr. Gregory Knight and wife Caroline of Charlotte, North Carolina; Kimberly Knight Hart, JD, and her husband, Mike, of Mandeville, Louisiana; Dr. Stephen Knight and his wife, Dr. Anna Knight, of Birmingham, Alabama; Elizabeth Eason of Los Angeles, California; and Emma Eason of Nashville, Tennessee—and six great-grandchildren, Danny and Sally Hart of Mandeville, Louisiana; Elizabeth and Abigail Knight of Birmingham, Alabama, and Thomas and Eliza Knight of Charlotte, North Carolina.

The family would like to thank the chaplains and caregivers at Arbor Acres and the ministers of Clemmons United Methodist Church for their love and support. The family also expresses its sincere gratitude to Ms. Della Spencer, a generous and thoughtful caregiver who assisted Marilyn for the past nine years.

Members of the Eason and Knight families will celebrate Marilyn Eason’s life in a private memorial service at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, February 21, 2026, at Clemmons United Methodist Church in Clemmons, North Carolina.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Clemmons United Methodist Church, Arbor Acres, the Salvation Army, or the charity of your choice.