Marilyn “Ziggie” Ketchum, 87, of Southbury, a life-long volunteer serving many local organizations, passed away on July 6, 2026 surrounded by her loved ones. She was the widow of Dennis L. Ketchum who predeceased her in 1990.

Ziggie was born on March 4, 1939, in New Britain, CT to the late August and Gertrude Ziegler. She grew up in New Britain attending Roosevelt Junior High and New Britain Senior High schools and was inducted in the National Honor Society in 1957. She graduated from the University of Connecticut (Storrs) where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology in 1961, a Masters of Arts in Human Development in 1975, and a Certificate in Gerontology in 1992.

Ziggie worked as the Director of Housatonic Homemaker Health Aide Service, Inc in West Cornwall, CT before beginning her career at Mattatuck Community College where she worked as Homemaker Training Coordinator and later as Director of Personnel and Contract Administration until her retirement. Following her retirement, she pursued her love of teaching and worked as Adjunct Faculty at Naugatuck Valley Community-Technical College in Waterbury and Swiss Hospitality Institute in Washington, CT. She was a trusted mentor and friend for many students throughout her teaching career.

In 1962, Ziggie married her husband Dennis, and they raised their daughter and two sons in Bridgewater, CT. She moved to Southbury in 1994 after Dennis’s death. She served as a volunteer in many organizations throughout her life, starting at a very young age. She was the founder and past president of FISH (Friends in Service Here) in Bridgewater, a Literacy Volunteer Tutor, served on the Board of Directors for The Mid-Fairfield Council of Camp Fire Girls, Inc. and the Bridgewater Land Trust as well as several mental health and youth services boards.

In Southbury, she was a long-term volunteer at the Southbury Food Bank, Southbury Public Library and Southbury Community Thrift Shop/Upper Room and was a 25-year volunteer at the Heritage Village Library. She received many awards for her volunteer service including The Northwestern Area Agency on Aging in 1979 and was recognized by the Mayor of the City of Waterbury, CT with the1991 Women in Leadership award from the Waterbury YWCA. She was an incredibly generous person and truly loved helping others in any capacity she could.

Ziggie enjoyed playing tennis, Mah jongg and Bridge, playing solitaire on her computer at blistering speed and gardening. She loved swimming and was known for her uncanny ability to effortlessly float in the water on her back and for her ability to assemble jigsaw puzzles without looking at the cover. She enjoyed singing in the church choir and once sang on the radio. She was a talented homemaker and sewed and knitted clothing for her family and spent many summers harvesting and freezing vegetables from the gardens she and Dennis tended.

Ziggie is survived by her daughter Corey LaRocque and husband, Alan who cared for her in her final years, her son, Randall Ketchum, grandson, Grant Ketchum, sister, Judith Jennings, brother-in-law and sister-in-law Robert and Kathryn Ketchum and many cousins, nieces and nephews. In addition to her parents and husband, Dennis, she was predeceased by her son, Stephen, grandson, Warren, brother, Donald Ziegler and wife, Janet, brother, Kenneth Ziegler, mother-in-law, Edna Isherwood and husband, Robert and father-in-law Millen Ketchum.

Calling hours will be on Thursday, July 16, 2026, at Munson-Lovetere Funeral Home, 235 Main Street North in Southbury from 2:00 – 3:30 pm. A memorial service will begin at 3:30 pm, concluding at 4:00pm. Interment will take place privately. If you would like to honor Ziggie’s memory with a donation, please direct it to Southbury Food Bank, P.O. Box 68, Southbury, CT 06488 or www.southburyfoodbank.org.

To leave an online condolence, please visit www.munsonloveterefuneralhome.com