Marilyn Mele Cole Mohler

Marilyn Mele Cole Mohler
March 3, 1953 – May 8, 2025

Marilyn Mele Cole Mohler, affectionately known as Aunty Marilyn, 72, of Kapa‘a, Hawai‘i, finished her earthly race on May 8, 2025. She began her life’s journey on March 3, 1953, on the island of O‘ahu.

Marilyn’s life was, indeed, a marathon filled with several climbing hills mixed with many flat straight-a-ways. Her most challenging hills came early in her life and, at the age of 12, her life dramatically and eternally changed. She met her Savior and Lord. Marilyn felt accepted and gained renewed hope that she meant something to someone and that her life was worth living. She desired her own family to serve and love so she asked God for a Christian husband and children. 

From then on, Marilyn dreamed of having a family of her own—to serve, to love, and to nurture. She asked God for a Christian husband and children, and He answered her prayers beyond her imagination. She is survived by her beloved husband, Mark, and their three sons and their families:

Tom and his wife Christy, and their daughters, Megan and Lauren

Jacob and his wife Katie, and their children, Emma and Ian

Michael and his wife Kim, and their sons, Markus and Thomas

She found great joy in each of her family members, loved them dearly, and could not have been prouder of them.

When her boys were growing up, the Mohler house was always filled with guests. Aunty Marilyn was known for her hospitality—regularly welcoming friends, neighbors, and teachers into her home and preparing many wonderful meals. She had a gift for making people feel at ease, seen, and cared for.  Aunty Marilyn was someone who welcomed others warmly and gave freely of her time and resources. She knew deeply the love, forgiveness, and grace of God, and she lived her life as an extension of that love—generous, open-hearted, and steadfast.

Once her sons were grown, Marilyn began working at Kapa‘a School, where she worked with children with life experiences similar to her own. Her goal was simple but profound, she wanted to make sure every child she worked with felt seen, supported, and full of hope.

Aunty Marilyn founded Hui O Na Makua Hookahi O Kaua’i, a non-profit for Kauai’s single-parent families, to provide financial support and emotional care tailored to each family in very personal ways. The Hui, to Aunty Marilyn, was a natural extension of the ways she cared for her own family; all of which flowed from her love for God and deep gratitude to Him for blessing her with the loving family she had long ago prayed for.

Marilyn was preceded in death by her parents and her brothers, Severo Cole and David Cole. She is survived by many siblings and extended family members, all of whom she loved dearly and who loved her just as deeply.

If you wish to honor Aunty Marilyn’s life, please consider making a donation to the Hawai’i Food Bank Kaua‘i Branch in Puhi. She would be so pleased to know that others were being cared for in her memory.

A memorial service for family and friends is scheduled for the late afternoon of June 20. Details will be shared via Facebook. A private graveside service for close relatives will be held that morning.

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