Marjorie Ann Fleming

Marjorie Ann Lind was born to James and Renata Lind in the small farming community of Highland, Minnesota, on July 16, 1929. It was a home birth, since (in Renata's words), “No one went to the hospital.” She was followed by brothers Merrill (1931) and Thomas (1935).

Theirs was a hard-working and resourceful family, surviving the Great Depression by milking cows ($15/month “cream check”), selling eggs (6 cents a dozen) and hay ($3 a ton!), fishing, and the odd carpentry job for 50 cents an hour. At one point, during a drought, farmers took their cattle to graze up north, living in tents while tending them.

For 8 years her family lived on the farm in Highland, until a fire burned all except the main house. In 1938, they moved to Buffalo, where they purchased the home in which they raised their children, who would later visit with their own children, summer after memorable summer. The house would remain in the family until 1985, 5 years after James' death.

Among Marjorie's most vivid memories was helping to serve mid-morning and afternoon meals to the farmers and field hands during threshing time; she especially loved riding the grain wagon to the granary. She was close to her Grandma Oestreich and enjoyed her rollicking sense of humor. She also recalls with fondness the day she served as bridesmaid for her Uncle Omer's wedding to Hilma, then attended the Baccalaureate service for her high school graduating class, and finally visiting her Grandpa Oestreich, who was too ill to attend the wedding, so he could see her in her beautiful dress! He was very happy to see her, and (as she remembered years later), “It was perhaps the longest one-on-one conversation I had ever had with him, and it warmed my heart.”

After graduation, she worked for 5 years for the Hoover Company in Minneapolis, for most of that time living with her Aunt Eleanor (Renata's sister) and Uncle Gust, sharing a 3rd-floor apartment with her friend Arlene, and later with her cousin Carol. In June of 1951, she met James Fleming through a co-worker from Jim's home town, Frederic, Wisconsin, and by autumn they were engaged. Because he'd been advised to seek a warmer climate, they were married in San Diego where he worked for Convair and she got a job at Distributors, Inc., in part because the office manager was a native Minnesotan who knew her Uncle Louis' family! As she observed, “Oh, the hand of God!”

In San Diego, their daughters Shawna and Michelle were born; 2 years after they'd moved up north to Santa Clara, Julie was born. They were finally blessed with a “son” in the family when Michelle married Steve Klesczewski in 1982, and welcomed joyfully the births of their granddaughters(1987) and Alexis (1990).

Being a grandma to these two beautiful children (now even more beautiful young ladies) was the joy of Marjorie's life: her photo albums are bursting with memories of feeding ducks in the park, gymnastics and cheerleading competitions, family vacations and celebrations, and quieter (but no less precious) moments shared by “Nanny” and her loving granddaughters.

A longtime faithful member of the Lutheran Church of Our Savior in Cupertino, CA, she was active in the Lutheran Braille Workers, Prayer Warriors, and the Chancel Choir, as well as teaching Sunday School and Vacation Bible School. Her many friends will remember the lovely hand-crafted Christmas gifts she made year after year. She was also an avid reader (4-5 books a week, on average), an enthusiastic gardener, and more computer and i Phone-literate than most others of 80+ years! (With daughter Julie as tireless tech-support guru.)

Since her triple bypass surgery in 1994, throughout her long ordeal with congestive heart failure, she was often called upon to suffer greatly, a “school of patience” (and courage) that made her more and more ready to go home to her Lord on November 19, 2014. In the midst of grief and loss, we are deeply grateful to have had her as sister, aunt, cousin, wife, mother, grandmother, and friend. In the words of St. Paul, “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you.” (Philippians 1:3)