Published: Sunday, 6/22/2014 - Updated: 58 seconds ago

BY STEPHEN GRUBER-MILLER BLADE STAFF WRITER

Marilyn A. Hankins, a lifeguard and water aerobics and swim instructor in Ottawa Hills and at the West Toledo YMCA, died Wednesday of ovarian cancer. She was 82.

Mrs. Hankins was born in Newark and did not herself learn how to swim until she and her husband moved to Toledo in 1969 when she was 37.

We would all be out in the water and maybe Mom would get her toes wet, but she was petrified, Mrs. Hankins daughter, Annette Smith, recalled. But once the family moved to Toledo she confronted her fear.

She decided that she didnt want to be left out any more, Mrs. Smith said.

Mrs. Hankins quickly learned to love the water and began a 34-year career teaching swim lessons, water aerobics, and aquanastics exercise classes to people of all ages.

Citing her own example, she told students nobody is too old to learn.

She was always encouraging other adults who didnt know how to swim to do it, Mrs. Smith said.

Mrs. Hankins always made sure to keep her classes lively.

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Y lifeguard, instructor learned to swim at 37