Remembrance of the Life of Robin Marlow CoL

Loretto Co-member Robin Marlow died in her sleep Feb. 5, 2026, after having suffered a massive stroke the week before. She was 76. Robin was a Loretto Co-member since 2024 and active in numerous Loretto committees and groups, often providing her beautiful photos and rituals for the seasonal celebrations.

The following remembrance was written by Robin’s close friends, Loretto Co-member Lisa Reynolds and Val Stepien:

When those of us who were close to Robin learned of the sudden massive stroke she suffered in the last days of March of this year, and then her ensuing death within the following days, we were shocked by the news that someone so full of spirit and engagement could be taken down so suddenly. Robin was a devoted Loretto Co-member, involved both locally in the Denver community where she lived and in Loretto through her work in the Loretto Earth Network, Loretto Link and the Monday-Friday morning meditation group, and her passion, values and humility were an integral part of everything in which she was engaged.

Robin was lovingly devoted to her family (two daughters and two brothers and spent the last years of her mother’s life caring for her), to a deepening understanding of Spirit and to living Loretto peace and justice values. She had been a beloved and highly respected paralegal in a Denver immigration law firm for many years, focusing on serving those seeking political asylum. Robin stayed in weekly contact with Sister Mary Ellen McElroy, her co-membership contact and eventual spiritual mentor, long after becoming a Co-member, and she continued to attend her ongoing monthly I Am the Way group. Having a deep love of Earth — often taking long walks in the Colorado prairie — she served in the Loretto Earth Network by helping create beautiful seasonal celebrations with her writing and photography. Her inquisitive mind and deep spiritual connection expressed itself in book groups studying writings by such authors as Bayo Akomolafe, Robin Wall Kemmerer, Ram Dass, Vanessa Andreotti and Thich Nhat Hanh.

Robin struggled in recent years with serious health issues, and those issues impacted her capacity to serve to the degree she desired.  Yet she maintained a sense of humor and devotion to the various activities she was committed to. As she sometimes quoted, “I took the road less traveled, and I don’t know where the hell I am!”

This “virtual memorial comforter” created by Loretto Co-member Catherine “Kitty” Madden and Rachel Brahm conveys some of Robin’s gifts that were shared from heartfelt remembrances of her by several of her numerous Loretto friends. Robin truly had so many gifts — among them being an artist, peace activist, gifted writer, loving mother and devoted daughter, supportive friend, spiritual seeker, deep thinker and committed worker for immigrant rights — that this comforter helps portray. Noted Kitty, “Robin, life stretched you in many directions, inwardly and outwardly.  Now, may you rest in peace as we share this comforter of memories, giving thanks for the wisdom, joy, compassion and comfort that you brought to us, your Loretto family.”

A celebration of her life is being planned. If you would like to donate a tree to be planted in memory of Robin, please follow the following steps (A tree costs $200, but any amount is appreciated.):

• Paying by check: Make the check out to Sisters of Loretto and put “Motherhouse tree fund” along with the name of the person it is honoring. Send the check to: Finance Office, 430 Academy Ln, Nerinx, KY 40049.
• Paying online: Follow the donate button on the website, choose “other ministries” from the dropdown menu, click “add dedication,” in the comment box after your information write in “Motherhouse tree fund.” 
• Loretto prioritizes native trees and plants mostly in the fall.

Please keep Robin, her surviving daughters Emma and Erin, her two brothers, Jim and Bill, and all her loved ones in your prayers. May she rest in peace.