Marilyn (McKnight) Ackley

TOPSHAM – Marilyn McKnight Ackley died Aug. 25, 2025, at Cadigan Lodge in the Highlands, in Topsham, after a short illness. She was 82 and cared for by her family and friends.

Marilyn was born Oct. 13, 1943, in Spokane, Wash., the daughter of Lyle W. McKnight and Gladys Johnson McKnight. Marilyn spent her childhood living with her parents in Spokane, Wash. and surrounded by beloved grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins nearby.

After graduating from Lewis and Clark High School in Spokane, Wash., Marilyn became a student at the University of Washington in Seattle. She earned a bachelor’s degree and stayed in Seattle to earn her master’s degree in theatre design. While there, Marilyn met Emory Westlake Ackley, who was also working toward his master’s degree. They were married in 1966 and moved to Connecticut for their work in technical theatre.

Marilyn was delighted by her experiences working at Wesleyan University, but she agreed with Wes’s idea in 1972 of moving to Maine. They bought land in Buckfield, and dedicated 30 years focused on farm animals, hayfields, and their much-loved dogs. They were an active part of the community there and spent many years developing a herd of cashmere producing goats that eventually resulted in prizewinning fiber. The goats were equally admired for their ability to improve the fields with their creative grazing style, and what began as overgrown farmlands were returned to productive hayfields.

Marilyn balanced life at the farm with work at Hebron Academy and then as a teacher at Telstar High School in Bethel. She later took special pleasure in helping local Spanish-speaking workers to develop English language skills. She was a photographer, birder, baker, gardener, wool spinner, and knitter, and she grew a network of friends that she enjoyed doing these things with. As an observant notetaker of nature, a reader – especially of poetry, avid sports fan, dedicated political supporter, diligent recycler, and adventurous traveler, her enthusiasm for “having a plan” and celebrating life’s milestones with gusto made her a cherished part of her family’s and friends’ lives.

In their later years, Wes and Marilyn agreed to simplify their lives and moved to Bath, and then to the Highlands in Topsham, where they were met with a community of new friends and reunited with dear old friends from Buckfield. They shared a love of nature, and after Wes passed, Marilyn continued their dedication to land conservation by supporting local land trusts; those trails were her frequent spots to walk with her beloved dog, Gibbs.

This summer, despite her diagnosis, she continued to hike daily at the Highlands. Her pragmatic approach to life’s quandaries, fierce independence, and stoicism in facing her final illness were much admired. She leaves us with a parting lesson: “sometimes, you just have to be a grownup”.

Marilyn was predeceased by her husband, Wes; and brother-in-law, George.

She is survived by her McKnight and Johnson cousins in her home state of Washington; and members of Wes’s family, his brother, Alexander and sister-in-law, Helen in New Jersey and their daughters Annie and her family in New Jersey, and Sarah and her family in Massachusetts; also, Wes’s cousins in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, and Maine.

When her brain tumor suddenly became evident in July, Marilyn’s wise foresight made it possible for Gibbs to rejoin the nearby farm family that he came to her from as a puppy. Marilyn and her family were grateful for the frequent visits she was able to have with Gibbs up to her passing, and they thank the outstanding staff at the Highlands and her medical teams for their careful attention to her care.

Marilyn wrote most of this obituary, and she requested no service, only a small family gathering at a later date. Her family plans to scatter her ashes where Wes’s were, in the hope that they are somehow together again. When that happens, the best coincidence would be the presence of a bird, flitting through the forest trees.