Marilyn Cavelle Dameron (Bruflat)

Marilyn Cavelle Dameron (Bruflat), 94, passed away on February 13th, 2025, at Carnegie Village Senior Living Center in Belton, MO. She was born on 4/2/1930 in Kansas City, MO to parents Samuel and Katheryn DeLaporte. In addition to her parents, brother George DeLaporte preceded her in death.

Marilyn graduated from Southeast High School in 1947 at the age of 17. She enrolled in Kansas City Junior College at age 18 but dropped out when her father Samuel suffered a debilitating stroke that left him homebound. Marilyn helped care for her dad and eventually went to work to help support the family.

At the age of 20, Marilyn married Norman Dale Dameron on 9/28/1950 & had two children, Mike, born in 1951 & Sue, born in 1954. The family moved from KC, MO in 1960 to a new home in Raytown. Marilyn’s lifelong passion was being a mother and grandmother. Marilyn always greeted her kids with a warm smile & open arms as they returned home from school each day. She saw her kids as special & that was a real gift to her kids! When daughter Sue married in 1983, soon came two grandsons! They were the apples of her eye & she enjoyed countless hours with them.

Life with husband Dale was not always easy as he battled his own lifelong challenges. Marilyn provided much needed stability & support for her kids & was a calming influence for Dale. It wasn’t all serious though as both Marilyn & Dale thoroughly enjoyed traveling! Annual family vacations included Colorado, the West Coast, deep South, & even Europe in 1967. Traveling with Dale was never dull and always an adventure/misadventure; yet the best times as a family were had during those vacations.

Husband Dale passed away at age 61 in August of 1988 leaving Marilyn, 58, a widow. A short time later son Mike changed careers and was soon working toward nursing school. Marilyn thoroughly enjoyed watching her son finally gain a vision for the work God had called him to. When Mike graduated from nursing school (to his mother’s great delight), Marilyn brought some of her friends to celebrate with her. She was equally elated at the graduation of her daughter Sue when she graduated with a degree in Accounting from William Jewell College in 1981.

After vowing she would never remarry, Marilyn married Merle Bruflat on 5/21/1999. Together, they had financial security, companionship, & a traveling partner! Trips to Branson were a favorite destination. Attending church at First Baptist Church of Raytown was a central part of their lives & they developed a number of friendships while attending there. Marilyn & Merle later attended First Baptist Church of Lee’s Summit & eventually Abundant Life Church of Lee’s Summit. The blessings of church life continued until Marilyn & Merle, in Feb. of 2019, moved to Carnegie Village of Belton.

Marilyn always wanted to look her best and be “put together well.” This included sacred Friday hair appointments with “nobody can do it better” hair stylist Vicki! Marilyn was proud to be a natural redhead and, in her later years, her hair was always dyed some version of red. Treasured times shopping with daughter Sue enabled Marilyn to keep her favorite items—shoes & clothing—updated & in style! In her final years, Marilyn became known for her colorful patterned palazzo pants earning the nickname ‘Fancy Pants’ by the staff and residents at Carnegie Village.

In addition to clothing, interior decorating was lifelong passion for Marilyn. Spending hours to find just the right home décor item or piece of furniture at just the right price was the goal of many shopping trips with Sue. As a result, Marilyn’s home was always beautifully decorated but comfortable & cozy.

Marilyn was a people person. She loved getting to know & learning about people. With her kind & friendly demeanor, she was very approachable & pleasant to be around. She developed many friendships through Spring Valley Baptist Church while raising her family & later when attending Raytown First Baptist Church. Marilyn’s extended conversions on the phone or at lunch with her close friends were often accompanied by frequent laughter. During the 11 years she was a widow, her women friends were a source to confide in, seek support from, eat out & shop with, & even travel with. They, at times, were a lifeline during troubling days in her marriage to Dale.

Marilyn was a reader. People were her favorite subjects to read about. Biographies & stories about people were her favorite subject matter. It was very common to see her with a book or magazine in hand in bed, reading for a while, before turning out the light to sleep.

Surviving relatives are son Michael Dale Dameron (Lynn), daughter Sue Worthley (Stan), grandson Brenton Worthley (Tiffany) great grandson Sawyer; grandson Brock Worthley (Cindy) great grandson Theodore; nephew Joe Joseph Johnson (Yvonne) & son Jeremy Johnson and daughter Paige Sublett (Joe) & daughter Wren.

Many thanks to the DON Jessica, ADON Samantha and care staff of Assisted Living at Carnegie Village. The family so appreciates the kindness, consistent good care & gentleness shown to Marilyn during her last years! And gratitude to Advanced Hospice for the angels who so tenderly cared for Marilyn in her final days. You all made a tremendous difference in her life and in the family’s!

In lieu of flowers, you may donate to the BrightFocus Foundation to aid in their fight against Alzheimer’s disease and macular degeneration.