Cover photo for Patti Marinos's Obituary
1948 Patti 2020

Patti Marinos

1948 — January 1, 2020

Aurora, Colorado

Patti Jean Marinos, 72, of Aurora, Colorado, passed away October 6, 2020, surrounded by her adoring family.  She was born July 28, 1948, in Salt Lake City, Utah, the oldest child of Andrus Dee and Dona Jean Kirk Nelson.

Patti was a graduate of Olympus High School in 1966 and attended the University of Utah.  Though she never earned a formal degree, she developed a lifelong love of learning evidenced by the mountainous stacks of books she consumed and often shared with others.  Her thirst for knowledge was contagious, and she passed that passion along to her family and friends.  It was common for her children to receive a book in the mail for a birthday or other special occasion – always with the intent to uplift and inspire.

Her greatest legacy is of one of love and selflessness, which impacted none more so than her own family.  Not wanting to wait to get started on that family, she eloped with a handsome young Greek man, John Marinos, on January 3, 1969.  They were later sealed to each other and their children for time and eternity on February 28, 1987, in the Denver Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  They had 9 children together: Cindy, Todd, Michael, Buffy, Andy, Angeleah, Christian, Brittany, and Carly.  Patti’s endless capacity for empathy and unconditional love was no more apparent than when she informally adopted Ed and Talitha Gawkoski (and what would turn out to be their 7 children) as her own children and grandchildren.  While she had many interests, Patti was more interested in helping her children develop their talents than in pursuing her own.  Despite the many directions she was pulled as a mother of 9, she could always be found on the sideline of a court or field, or in a seat watching a performance or recital.  Over the last several years of her life, Patti and John spent as much time traveling as possible – not on trips to luxurious or exotic locations as many people do in their golden years – but to the spare bedroom or couch in the basement of her children and grandchildren.  There was nowhere she wanted to be more than with them, perhaps rivaled only by the car ride or airplane flight at John’s side for the journey from place to place.  She loved John with all of her heart.

The only match for her love of the people in her life was the love and reverence she had for her Savior Jesus Christ and His restored gospel.  Patti was a lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ, and served with boundless energy and enthusiasm in every calling she was given, sharing her testimony of the gospel through both her example and her words.  Through her service in the Church she became a gifted teacher, and always gave her lessons the kind of study and preparation that she felt was worthy of the sacred and beloved topics she taught.  Her last calling was that of Relief Society President in her local congregation, which she devoted herself to faithfully until her illness would no longer allow.  With as many people as she often had surrounding her, like the Savior she went out of her way to focus on the individual.  She always had a genuine smile on her face that made her easy to approach, and took the time to make individual people feel like they were part of her family – a tall task considering the size of the gatherings often held at the Marinos home.  She loved people and could frequently be found spending nights either in person or on the phone coaching others through their personal hardships with a spirit of tenderness and love.  Her natural emotional intelligence was amplified by her closeness to the Spirit of the Lord.  She helped her children develop the same spiritual sensitivity, which called them to her side just a few days before her death, a sacred experience which allowed her family to be together one last time on earth.

Patti is survived by her husband of over 51 years, John Marinos; children: Cynthia Giles of Aurora; John Todd (Traci) Marinos of Eagle Mountain, UT;  Buffy (Daniel) Bowman of Aurora; Andrew (Jamie) Marinos of San Clemente, CA; Angeleah (Gregory) MacDonnell of Richland, WA; Christian (Elizabeth) Marinos of Eagle Mountain, UT; Brittany (Matthew) Johnson of Orem, UT; and Carly (Jordan) Richardson of Richland, WA ; 50 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; and siblings: Larry (Sharon) Nelson of Roseville, CA; Debbie (Conrad) Monson of Pleasant Grove, UT; and Kirk Nelson of Hurricane, UT.  She was preceded in death by her parents and her son Michael Chad Marinos.

A viewing will be held from 10:00-11:30am on Monday, October 12, 2020, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 4701 South Chambers Road, Aurora, CO 80015.  Anyone who wishes to pay their respects to Patti and the Marinos family are welcome to visit at that time.  The funeral service will follow at Noon.  Due to the limited seating available at the church per the ongoing pandemic, the service itself will be by invitation only.  However, it will also be broadcast via livestream for all to join in celebrating Patti's life.

An outline of the Funeral service is shown at the bottom of this obituary. Please use this link at 12Noon on Monday to participate virtually: https://www.facebook.com/buffy.m.bowman/posts/1891066561033857

A burial service will take place at 11:00am on Saturday, October 24, 2020, at Memorial Mountain View Cemetery, 3115 E Bengal Blvd, Cottonwood Heights, Utah 84121.  All who wish to are welcome to attend.  Patti will be laid to rest beside her late son, Michael Chad.  We can attempt to imagine, but hardly comprehend the joy she must have experienced being reunited with him after a 44-year absence.

Memories of Patti and condolences for her family may be shared on the Tribute wall. Thank you!

Funeral Service for Patti J. Marinos

Bishop Sandoval - Presiding and Conducting

Dan Lloyd, organist

Ketty Olsen, pianist

Mona Luck, chorister

Opening Hymn #219 “Because I Have Been Given Much”

Invocation - Debbie Monson

Life Sketch - Talitha Gawkoski

Memories - Tori Clark

Musical Selection by Patti’s grandchildren “Families Can Be Together Forever”

Tributes - Cindy Giles, Todd Marinos, Buffy Bowman, Andy Marinos, Angeleah MacDonnell, Christian Marinos, Brittany Johnson, Carly Richardson

Concluding Remarks - Bishop Sandoval

Closing Hymn #134 “I Believe in Christ”

Benediction - Larry Nelson

To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Patti Marinos, please visit our flower store.

Service Schedule

Past Services

Visitation

Monday, October 12, 2020

10:00 - 11:30 am (Mountain (no DST) time)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

4701 S Chambers Rd, Aurora, CO 80015

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