Marlene Ann Dowson

Preceded in death by her husband, Dale. She is survived by her children Debbie Enger (Terry), Diane Sachse (Rick), Linda Pugsley (Paul) and Bob Dowson (Bob Brown); grandchildren, Josh Enger (Katie), Jacob Enger, Ryan Pugsley (Leanne), Jenna Wild (Justin), Krista Schaefer (Ryan), Ellie Sachse and Tanner Sachse (Megan). She is also survived by ten great grandchildren.

Family, Faith and Fun is how we will always remember Marlene. Her life was dedicated to her family; alternating visits to her kids’ cabins and delighting in every chance to see her grandchildren and her great grandchildren.

After getting married and having four kids, Dale and Marlene developed a passion for the outdoors. Marlene was an expert at packing two weeks of supplies for a family of six for an excursion off the grid in their camper. Every summer they would head up into the wilderness of northern Minnesota to their favorite spot on the Gunflint Trail. Mar could whip up a pan of lasagna in a tent trailer oven the size of a toaster. She was an amazing cook and planner, making sure that all the details were covered; truly a wonderful mom and wife!

After Dale retired, they were most joyful when they could spend time with their grandchildren. Both of them would light up at the mention of Josh, Jake, Ryan, Jenna, Krista, Ellie and Tanner. There was no shortage of bragging or picture sharing when it came to the grandkids. Even at the beautiful age of 87, she was not ready to leave us because she just had too much left to do with her great grandchildren.

Marlene was a faithful servant to our Lord. Even on camping trips to remote locations, she was adamant that her family attend Sunday Mass. She prayed daily and had faith that God would care for her and those she loved. We are comforted knowing that her devotion to her faith will surely usher her into the kingdom of God.

And Marlene loved to have fun. She loved to dance, she loved to shop and she always looked like a million bucks. There wasn’t much more important to her than her perfect signature black hair and her swanky, contemporary dress code. She had a wonderfully active life for all 87 years: she served on her condo board of directors and she and her high school girls’ club would meet monthly for lunch even as recently as this past year.

Marlene, we thank God for blessing us all these years with your presence, your love and your care. You and Dale will surely be missed but never forgotten.