Marlene Marquardt, age 79 of Bottineau, passed away on Tuesday, March 28, 2023 at a Minot care center.  Her funeral will be held on Wednesday, April 5, 2023 at 2:00 pm at the First Lutheran church in Bottineau.  Visitation will be Tuesday starting at 5:00 pm with a prayer service at 7:30 pm at the Nero Funeral home in Bottineau.

Marlene Jean Marquardt was born on March 1, 1944 in Bottineau, ND to Wesley and Delilah (Becker) Marquardt.  She graduated from Gardena HS in 1962 and then attended Business College in Minot, ND.  Upon graduation, she started working as a secretary at Wold Engineering in Bottineau where she enjoyed a very long career of over 50 years.  She also worked at Pamida for a number of years along with volunteering at First Lutheran Church helping with various church activities. She also worked as a hostess at the Birchwood for many years.

Marlene loved children and babysat for numerous families in the Bottineau Community in her younger years.  She has kept in contact with many of them and enjoys when they visit.  Marlene enjoyed doing crafts in the winter months (right up until a week before she passed) and enjoyed the outdoors the rest of the year where she could be seen working daily in her well-groomed yard or garden.  She also loved attending her nieces and nephews activities and sporting events.  Her favorite time of the year was Fall because she could ride in the combine for hours during harvest.  Marlene especially cherished the time and events she attended with her very special friend Bunny Dreyer of Minot.

She was baptized and confirmed in the Methodist Church of Gardena and later joined First Lutheran Church of Bottineau. She was a member of the Bottineau Women's Jaycees, Community Concert Series, Community Choir, Community Theatre,  Senior Citizens, St Andrew's Hospital Auxiliary, Turtle Mountain Cancer Support, First Lutheran Church Quilters, Circle, and Church Choir.  Marlene was known to do a lot of thoughtful things for others, always with a great effort of perfection and determination. She fought a long battle with Cancer over a 30-year period until she went home to be with the Lord on March 28th, 2023 surrounded by family and amazing caregivers from Elison Assisted Living and Caring Edge Hospice in Minot.  She was a resident at Elison since June 2022 and was so appreciative for all of their care and compassion.

Marlene is survived by her sisters:  Marlys, her twin (Gary) Walker of Post Falls, ID, Carol Galen Johnson of Puyallup, WA Kathy (Bruce) Keller of Thief River Falls, MN;  brother,  Dan (Connie) Marquardt of Bottineau, ND; nephews & nieces:  Stan (Amy) Galen of Monroe, WA, Mitch (Tracie) Galen of Puyallup, WA, Tammi (Kevin) Peterson of Mead, WA, Todd (Katrina) Walker of Hayden Lake, ID, Shannon (Ryan) Galbreath of Enderlin, ND Nathan Keller of Golden Valley, MN, Rachel Motta of Kailua, HI,  Staci (Ryan) Friesen of Anchorage, AK, Jenna (Blaine) King of Bottineau, ND, Brooke (Jeremy) Campbell of West Fargo, ND.  Marlene is also survived by 22 great nieces and nephews and numerous cousins.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Wesley and Delilah Marquardt.  Grandparents, Charles & Amelia Marquardt and Louis & Ida Becker.

A special Thank You to Trinity Cancer Care Center, St. Andrew's Health Center,  Elison Assisted Living  and Caring Edge Hospice Care for their wonderful care.  Also a big Thank You to her many friends who she loved and cherished.

The family requests that memorials be given to the Turtle Mountain Cancer Support Group or the St. Andrew's Hospital Foundation.

Arrangements were with Nero Funeral Home in Bottineau.  Friends may sign the online register book at www.nerofuneralhome.net.

Her funeral will be Livestreamed on the First Lutheran Church's Facebook page.