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Marilyn Lestilie Wilson Trefzger was born January 5, 1925, in Peoria, IL the daughter of Richard Wallace and Lena Florence Jones Wilson. She attended public schools in Peoria, graduating from Woodruff High School in 1942.
She attended Bradley University, Eureka College and Illinois State University, where she received a B.S. in Education with high honors. She took graduate study at Lexington (KY) Theological Seminary and Christian Theological Seminary, Indianapolis.
She married the Rev. Dr. John D. Trefzger, June 9, 1946 in Glen Oak Christian Church, Peoria. They have three sons: Dr. Richard (Nancy) and Robert (Connie) of Bloomington and James (Dorothy) of Champaign, IL. There are 6 grandchildren: Emily (Magdiel) Campos, Sarah and Paul Trefzger of Bloomington; Michael Trefzger, Hollywood CA; Amy (Michael) Curry, Grayslake, IL; and John R., Champaign, IL. There are 5 great grandchildren: Noah Benzing, Sabrina and Charlie Campos, and Connor and Olivia Crawford and 3 step great grandchildren: Octavio, Julian and Alan Campos.
After their marriage, John and Marilyn decided to study for the Christian ministry. After John finished seminary in 1951, John served as Senior Pastor of First Christian Church Waukegan for 7 years, First Christian Chuch Bloomington, Illinois for 16 years, First Christian Church, South Bend Indiana for 7 years and First Christian Church, Bloomington, IN for 4 years. They returned to Bloomington to both serve on the Regional Staff of the Christian Church in IL and WI for 5 years.
Marilyn taught U. S. History at Bloomington High School, 1969-1973, and for the next seven years taught social science in South Bend, IN high schools. In 1984 Mrs. Trefzger was called to be an Associate Regional Minister of the Christian Church in Illinois and Wisconsin with offices in Bloomington. She retired from that position in 1989.
Marilyn gave active leadership in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) on the local, regional, and national levels. She wrote several study guides for women of the Christian Church and has published articles in newspapers and national religious journals. Since her retirement, she has written church school curriculum for children, youth, and adults. She is the author of Unity, Liberty, Charity, a study book on the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). As a member of the Cursillo Community, she served as clergy on a number of Cursillo teams.
For a number of years the Trefzgers led world tours with emphasis on understanding cultures: their history and religious practices, while establishing bridges through personal friendships. In 1973 they led the first group tour to Bloomington-Normal's Sister City, Asahikawa, Japan.
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