Marlene Helen Blomberg died July 18, 2022 in her Stillwater lake home that she built and that was central to her life for 63 years. She passed at 88 years old, after one last look at the lake, with her family at her side.
Mar was born in April 1934 in St. Paul, MN. She was welcomed into the family home on Holton St. that already housed Carl, her only sibling; Leslie and Margaret, her parents; and Buster, her dog. A family dog would be her constant companion for 85 of her 88 years, and there were times when she also had ducks and one occasion when the tadpoles in an uncovered aquarium decided it was time to hop into the kitchen.
When the two bedroom home on Holton proved too small to house the shy but active Mar, the imaginative Carl, and the host of wildlife, her family moved a couple blocks north to California Ave. in Falcon Heights.
Marlene graduated from Murray High School in 1952 and Hamline University in 1956. While in school, she loved sports, which eventually led to her first physical education teaching job in Comfrey, MN. After two years, Mar moved back to Falcon Heights, started teaching at Washington High School in St. Paul, and built her lake cabin. She taught at Washington for 22 years and at Como High School for another 11 before retiring in 1990.
At retirement, Mar added on to her cabin, making it a year-round home. Her retirement, nearly as long as her professional career, was filled with water skiing, swimming, boat rides, and many long summer days at the lake. Mar enjoyed staying in contact with other retired teachers, joined a gym in Stillwater, loved water aerobics, and was active at First Presbyterian Church in Stillwater.
Marlene was an excellent swimmer and water skier. She taught thousands of students to swim, and countless friends and relatives to swim and water ski. Her lakefront was a frequent gathering place for family and friends, and no visit was complete without a boat ride around the lake.
Marlene was always independent and a trailblazer, owning a lake cabin, motorboat, sailboat, and snowmobile in the 1960s before it was common for women to do so. She was also a thoughtful caretaker, having cared for her father for the last year of his life (while she was still in high school}, her mother who lived with her, and her brother who moved in when he was ill with cancer.
Marlene is survived by her niece Kari and nephews Les (wife Brenda), Jeff (wife Nancy), and Greg (wife Heather), and three great-nephews Jack, Micah, and Kobi.
A memorial service will be held on Monday, August 8 at First Presbyterian Church, 6201 Osgood Avenue North, Stillwater, MN. Visitation at 1 PM, service at 2 PM, with refreshments to follow.
If you are interested in making a memorial donation, please support the First Presbyterian Church Montreat Youth Trip.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.sunsetfuneralservices.com for the Blomberg family.
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