Marilyn June Price

Marilyn June Price passed away on March 20th, 2023, a day after her 91st birthday.  She was born in Winslow, Arizona on March 19, 1932 to Grover and Louise Wood.  She spent her childhood and teenage years in Winslow.  She began her working life as a successful California fashion model and moved on to Arizona to become the first woman Fire Chief in Arizona.   She wasn’t seeking publicity or trying to be the first woman anything.  She wanted to serve with honor in the career she chose as her life’s work.  She had self confidence, discipline and a good work ethic, while confronting and dealing with challenges. 

One of the first things Marilyn did after moving to the Show Low area was sign up for an emergency medical training at Northland Pioneer College.  She took classes in painting and writing which led to lifetime pursuits.  Another passion was the forest.  She loved being close to the nature and wanted to be surrounded by wildlife and trees.  She wanted to serve her community, and earned her degree in Fire Science from NPC.  She learned all she could about firefighting, fire behavior and also learned about forest ecology and the people who were part of it.  Her mission in life became the protection of the beautiful mountains she called “home”.

Before long, she was appointed the first woman Fire Chief in Arizona and served for over 25 years.  She served on the Arizona Fire District Association for 20 years and also taught the EMT class at NPC for many years.

She retired from Linden Fire Department, and continued to paint and write children’s books.  Her love of the forest and forest critters is expressed in her book entitled “The Brave Little Fir Tree”. 

Marilyn is preceded in death by her husband, Murray Herndon, her parents, and son, Kevin Conley.

A Celebration of Life will be at a later date.

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