Marilyn (Martel) Cole, called Mal by those who knew her, died peacefully at home in Lynn on October 31, 2026 with her family around her. She was 96 and had lived in the city all her life.
She was the daughter of Henry and Nora (Travers) Martel, graduated from St. Mary’s Girls High School and took classes at Emerson College in Boston. She worked in the City Clerk’s office at Lynn City Hall before turning to the larger job of raising five children.
Her volunteer record ran long: the Cancer Association and the Heart Association, school PTAs, Wyoma Little League and Catholic Charities, along with the presidency of the St. Pius Sodality and, for many years, of the Infant of Prague Guild. She was married 67 years to Frederick M. Cole, who died before her. She liked decorating the house and traveling with friends, but what she treasured were family gatherings and the trips to Disneyland with her grandchildren.
She leaves her daughter Cathleen and her husband William; her sons Joseph and his wife Susan, Kevin and his wife Leslie, Christopher and his wife Ellen, and Terence; her sister Patricia (Martel) Jaras; her sisters-in-law Maureen (Curran) Martel and Fran (Moriarty) Martel; 11 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Her brothers Bill, Joe and Peter died before her. The family thanks the staff of Care Dimensions for their care.
A visitation and service will be held Saturday, November 14, 2026 from 9 to 11 a.m. at Solimine Funeral Home, 426 Broadway, Lynn, with burial immediately after at Pine Grove Cemetery. In place of flowers the family asks for donations in her name to Care Dimensions or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Compiled from information published by Solimine Funeral Homes. Photograph courtesy of the family via Solimine Funeral Homes. This is our own summary, not the family’s obituary; read the full obituary and leave a condolence at the funeral home’s page on Legacy.com. Corrections: we will fix any error promptly.
