Marilyn Scudder was born in Amarah in Iraq in 1939. Her parents were missionaries as were several generations of Scudders before them, all serving in the middle East. She lived in Kuwait from 1949 when it was still a poverty stricken "oil less" state. After attending boarding school in India Marilyn finished her studies in America finally moving to a residency in Ophthalmology and a fellowship in retina studies at the University of Minnesota.

Marilyn moved to Africa in 1969, becoming head of the Eye Department at Mvumi Hospital and the 102^nd missionary in her family. She returned to America for a further 2 years study in 1971. Marilyn then returned to Tanzania and worked at the Eye Department in the Kilimanjaro Medical Centre at Moshi in 1973 becoming head of department in 1979. Marilyn pioneered eye safaris, travelling by car or plane to 30 mission and government hospitals all over Tanzania to provide eye care. Locals walked miles to come for her treatment and her reputation spread throughout the country and when she returned to work at Mvumi Hospital in 1994 patients continued to come from all over Tanzania and beyond.

Marilyn retired from surgery in 2001 and went to live on the foothills of Kilimanjaro with the Capuchin Sisters of Maua where she continued her work. Her driving force was to provide medical advice where it was most needed and she continued to train nurses who could return to their own villages to provided much needed eye care until illness forced her to seek treatment in America.

In spite of her struggle with amyloid disease which meant that she needed continuous oxygen, she was bound and determined to spend her last days in her beloved Tanzania.  Marilyn returned to Tanzania and visited places dear to her including Mvumi. When her health deteriorated further she was moved to the Aga Khan hospital in Dar es Salaam where she died on 16^th May this year. Her family flew to her bedside before she died and accompanied her body to her home on the slopes of Kilimanjaro where the funeral service was held and she was laid to rest.