Moyers Fund Cancer Care for Maui Families

The Marilyn Moyer Charitable Trust (MMCT) made a $500,000 gift to support the Maui Clinical Trials Endowed Chair Fund and the University of Hawai‘i Cancer Center Capital Fund at the UH Cancer Center.

"We lost our mother, Marilyn, to cancer in 1988. The same day that my mother died, my daughter Maria Lynn was born. In 2013, 25 years and 11 days later, we lost Maria to cancer. We know firsthand how families will do anything, anything for their loved ones, and that clinical trials of medications offer HOPE,” said Tim Moyer. “This endowment will allow everyone the opportunity for clinical trials – not in some lonely place far away from home, but right here on Maui, embraced by the support and love of family, friends and our community.”

Marilyn Moyer was born in 1924 in Chicago, Illinois. In 1946, at the age of 21, she married Tom Moyer from Portland, Oregon, once he returned to the U.S. after serving in the Philippines during World War II. They were blessed with four children.

Tom and Marilyn worked together to build a successful theatre chain reaching into five western states.

Marilyn Moyer’s life and career exemplified ingenuity and hard work that was always accompanied with a great Irish sense of humor. Her common sense and straight talking kept her family and friends coming back to her time and again for advice. Those fortunate enough to have known Marilyn knew she was always available to listen and offer a helping hand.

Marilyn Moyer first discovered Maui in 1977 and described it as paradise on Earth. She bought a condo at Napili and made many memorable trips to Maui, always inviting friends and family to join her. When she succumbed to cancer, her ashes were scattered into the warm Pacific Ocean off of Napili Point at sunset.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to establish a fund for clinical cancer trials on Maui, and delighted with the thought that those members of the community combating cancer will now be able to receive treatment on the little island in the Pacific which had such a special place in our mother’s heart,” said Tom Moyer Jr.

After Marilyn passed away, the family business was sold and the MMCT was established in her memory by her husband and four children: Tom Jr., Colleen, Kimberly and Tim.

In recognition of their contribution the mauka conference room at the UH Cancer Center will be named The Marilyn Moyer Conference Room.