In Memoriam: MCB Remembers Marilynn Etzler

Marilynn Edith Etzler passed away peacefully at her home in Davis, California on August 4, 2025. Marilynn was born on October 30, 1940 in Detroit, Michigan, and she spent most of her childhood in Tamaqua, Pennsylvania. As a child, she loved building things with her erector set and playing with her Lionel trains. She was also musical: she played the clarinet in her high school band and performed with her two sisters at local events.

Marilynn earned a Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts degrees in Biology and Chemistry from Otterbein College in Westerville, Ohio, beginning her life-long love of biochemistry.  Later in her career, her alma mater recognized her accomplishments by awarding her an Honorary Doctor of Science degree in 1991 and the Distinguished Alumni Award in 1999. Marilynn received her Doctor of Philosophy degree in Biology from Washington University in St. Louis, under the mentorship of Dr. Florence Moog. Two of six publications from her graduate work appeared in the prestigious research journal, Science. She conducted postdoctoral research in immunochemistry with Dr. Elvin Kabat at Columbia University in New York City.

In 1969, Marilynn began her 45 year career as a professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, which later became the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, at the University of California at Davis. Her research centered on glycobiology, and she focused on a group of sugar binding proteins from plants called lectins. She studied the carbohydrate-binding activities of lectins early in her career. She later studied structure-function relationships of the proteins and their biological role in plants. She was highly regarded by her peers as a rigorous and productive scientist, and she was awarded the Stillmark Medal for Lectin Research in 1989.

Marilynn was a dedicated teacher of two large-enrollment core courses—one in biochemistry and the other in cell biology, participating in the design of the latter course. She conveyed her love of science to students through enthusiastic and energetic lectures.

Marilynn served her profession in many capacities. She was a member of the Board of Directors and, later, President of the Society for Glycobiology. In 2024, she and her co-editors were awarded the Society for Glycobiology Distinguished Service Award for their altruistic efforts in producing four editions of the Essentials in Glycobiology reference text. She served often on panels to review grant applications for the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.  She was appointed to several editorial boards for scientific journals. At UC Davis, she was Director of the Plant Cell Biology Training Program which served as an organizing center that synergized plant cell biology research on the UC Davis campus from 1990 - 2002.

Marilynn was the first woman faculty member to be hired in her department. Women in academia of her generation had to be tough, resilient, and smart, which described Marilynn to a tee. She was well known for her willingness to voice her opinions energetically and her unwillingness to back down from an argument.

Although Marilynn was passionate about her science, she did have a life outside of the lab.  She enjoyed traveling, especially to Switzerland and Hawaii. She was also a rabid fan of the San Francisco 49er football team.

Marilynn is preceded in death by her parents, Doris and Elmer Etzler, and she is survived by her two sisters, Doris Dolly Rohrbach and Carole Eagleheart, and by her caretaker of more than 20 years, Daiana Moqolaki.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the charity of your choice in Marilynn’s memory.