Marcia Emily Steward

Marcia Steward’s life began in Milwaukee Wisconsin in 1934 and ended at her beloved mountain home above Boulder Colorado in 2021. Marci’s life from the first moments to her last were influenced by her father, Reinhold Fenske, a wise and insightful Lutheran pastor and her independent-minded mother Emma Fenske.

Pastors daughter, nurse, wife, mother, Braillist, MAK1, dog sledder, horseback rider, mountain trekker, world traveller and avid gardener. Marci was all of these things; and to her husband Gene and her children, grand children and many friends she was so much more.

The desire to heed Christ’s call to serve others was the common thread in Marci’s life, and really the essence of who she was. This was exemplified by her nursing career which began at the storied nursing school in Bismarck North Dakota and later, years spent transcribing text books into Braille for the blind. Marci had many wonderful stories about her nursing career and time spent at the VA where among other stories she told of being on the floor when president Eisenhower was admitted for a heart attack.

While Marci bore constant pain and declining health later in life without complaint, she and her husband Gene continued to demonstrate their love of others by sharing their beloved husky dogs with people in need of comfort through the therapy dog program at local nursing homes.

…and she accomplished all of this in a mere 87 years.

Marci is survived by her loving husband Gene, her children Debbie, Darlene, David and Daniel, and 10 grand children.

1) MAK is Machine Aided Knitter. The term machine knitting is sometimes confused for the technical practice of knitting heavy machinery but in this usage means knitting items of clothing with a knitting machine. Marci was an avid machine knitter and enjoyed endless hours knitting and talking about knitting, demonstrating knitting to others, you get the point. Her knitting friends will miss her.

In lieu of flowers, contributions to Best Friends Animal Rescue (https://bestfriends.org) or the Alliance of Therapy Dogs (https://www.therapydogs.com) would be appreciated.