Marilyn J Brandt

Marilyn Jean Brandt, 89, passed away peacefully Saturday October 30, 2021 at Adams Woodcrest Health in Decatur, IN. She was born March 6, 1932, in Oak Harbor, OH, to the late Frederick Henry and Luella (Jensen) Wahlers.

She spent her childhood in various Ohio towns with her parents ultimately settling in Defiance, just an hour away from our home in Fort Wayne. She has a younger, more free-spirited sister Barbara “Barb” (Wahlers, Brannan, Winterstein of Bonita Springs Florida) 6 years her minor. I remember that they were raised during times of war and mom spoke of bringing Barb home from school and making her lunch while their mother worked in the war factories aiding in the cause.

Mom’s parents, I believe were uniquely far-sighted for the time and insisted they she and Barb obtain college educations. As such, she graduated from Stryker High School in 1950 then went on to attend the small Lutheran Capitol University where she earned a degree in education (Class of 1954) and the life-long friendships of Mickey and Norm Townley and Clairey (Zangmeister) amongst many others. Mom taught for a while until her marriage (Raymond William 1929-2001) and her sons became her priorities. Robert Raymond of Clemmons, NC born 1956 [Austin, Andrew (Mandy), and Nolan USAF], Raymond William Jr (Elizabeth “Beth”) of Portland, IN born 1957 [Haley (Kevin), Adam (Elizabeth) and Ben (Nicole; Chandler and Carson)], Brian Paul (Janice) of Windham, NH born 1962 [Abby, Steven] and Jon Marc (Kathleen) of Green Bay, WI born 1965 [Ruth, Jon Jr “Jack” and Ava]. While being a wife and mother, mom went back to school at Indiana University and earned her Master’s in Education. As her life transitioned back to being a single woman, she rekindled her love for teaching and taught special education classes at Dekalb Central Schools from where she retired in 1997.

Mom was raised in, and remained staunchly loyal to the Lutheran Church (Missouri Synod; those of you who are Lutheran understand the importance of this distinction). She was a member of Emmanuel Lutheran Church of New Haven, IN. She had the gift of gab frequently regailing updates from her very dear friends the Hellers and Kruekenbergs. Mom espoused the belief earlier in her life that “you show people that you love them, you don’t say it.” True to her beliefs she showed her love for us through homemade meals, a clean home, assistance with homework, clean clothes, warm jeans from the dryer and warm baths after rolling in the grassy summer lawn to “get rid of the chiggers.” None the less I think that we all enjoyed mom’s softening in her later years frequently hearing her say she “loved us all” and that she “has four great sons who all married well and raised great children.“ I never heard her say a disparaging word about her parents other than her father had “colorful language.” She loved and honored her parents all the days of her life. Mom you are loved and missed until we meet again in the perfection of God’s Grace and Love.

Mom’s faith manifested to her death and is evidenced by her ambivalence about where her ashes were to be placed or spread but a headstone will be placed next to those of her beloved parents in the cemetery on the corners of Evansport and Kammeyer Roads in Defiance, OH.

The sons of Marilyn wish to extend our gratitude to the staff of Woodcrest Assisted Living and Nursing Home and to Heart to Heart Hospice for providing our mother with the love and care she needed at a time in her life during which we were unable to do so ourselves as well as to her trusted life-long personal physician Dr Brandenberg, her cardiologist Dr Palmer and her Attorney Carl Miller. Most of all we extend our undying gratitude to our sister-in-law Beth for her saintly care of our mother.

Memorials should be made consistent with your own passions to the charities of your choosing as all our earthly possessions come from and return to God

Arrangements by D.O. McComb and Sons Lakeside Park Funeral Home 1140 Lake Ave Fort Wayne, IN. To sign the online guestbook go to www.mccombandsons.com