Obituary- Marilyn F. Pike (1942-2016) Marilyn F. (Hickson) Pike, 74, of Huntington, passed away peacefully Friday, September 9, 2016 surrounded by her loving family after a courageous battle against leukemia. Marilyn leaves behind her loving and devoted husband, William (Butch), of Huntington with whom she was happily married close to 54 years. She leaves a daughter, Lisa Pike Masteralexis and her husband James of Amherst, and a son, Wayne M. Pike and his partner Sheila Foley of Westfield. Her grandchildren, Nathan, Taylor and Justin Masteralexis and Karissa Foley brought Marilyn her greatest joy. She made her grandchildren her priority and spent countless hours lovingly teaching them and cheering them on in sporting events. Most weekends she could be found at fields and ice rinks throughout New England. Marilyn was predeceased by her parents, her twin brother Thomas Hickson, and her sister Joyce (Hickson) Smola. Marilyn was born in Greenfield September 9, 1942, the daughter of Edward and Mary (Mazella) Hickson. After a few years in Deerfield, she moved to Huntington, where she lived the rest of her life. Following graduation from Huntington High School she worked as a secretary at Westfield River Paper Company in Russell. After having her children, Marilyn went to Westfield State College where she earned a bachelor's degree in Psychology and became certified in Guidance Counseling and Teaching. She taught for approximately 30 years at Gateway Regional Middle School, the majority of which were in eighth grade. She was a dedicated English and Language Arts teacher, who committed to her students in and outside of the classroom through advising extracurricular activities, such as the yearbook and a writing club. She also ran an annual school trip to Washington, D.C. Known for her mentoring, many of her students maintained strong relationships with her long after completing eighth grade. A writer, Marilyn spent many summers involved in the Western Mass Writing Project at UMass Amherst, served as a writing consultant to teachers throughout the state and, for a number of years, operated her own writing tutoring service in Northampton. She took great joy from writing short stories and poems. In fact, writing poetry helped get her through her cancer treatments. Well-known for her baking, especially cupcakes loved by neighborhood children, Marilyn's hobbies included cake decorating, oil painting, and gardening. Her yard was her sanctuary and her prized day lilies brightened her gardens. A huge fan of Neil Diamond, "Sweet Caroline" was her favorite song long before the Boston Red Sox adopted it. As a lifelong NY Yankee fan, she "forgave" Neil Diamond for giving it to Red Sox Nation because he sang it so meaningfully after the Boston Marathon bombing. Over the nearly two and a half years her treatment, Marilyn received amazing and compassionate care from many doctors and nurses. In particular, her family is thankful for Dr. Subramony Subramonia-Iyer and the Mercy Hospital and Bay State Medical Hematology/Oncology teams, Dr. Jan Cerny and the UMass Memorial Hematology/Oncology team, and most recently Dr. Phillip Amrein and his research team and nursing staff who made the Mass General Hospital leukemia center her home away from home this past year. Their kind, loving treatment while Marilyn participated in a clinical trial has left the family eternally grateful. Their appreciation of Marilyn's contribution to AML research gave her a purpose to fight for beyond the love of her family. At Marilyn's request, burial will be private. A Catholic mass and celebration of her life will occur at a later time. Memorial contributions in her name may be made to Caring for a Cure, Mass General Hospital, Lunder 10 (Attn: CFAC), 55 Fruit St, Boston MA 02114 or online https://because.massgeneral.org/fundraise?fcid=744585