Marlene Bremmer

Marlene was born on April 10, 1938 to Joseph and Josephine Sczepaniak in Chicago, Illinois.

Shortly after her family moved back to Lemont, Il.

During her teenage years, she participated in many parades and pageants in Lemont, being crowned Indian Princess and Miss Lemont, among many other titles.

Marlene attended University of St. Francis in Joliet, Il where she acted in many plays and musicals, participated in many fashion shows, and was chairman of the collegiate section of the Illinois Academy of Science. She graduated in 1959, majoring in Biology.

After school, she got a job at a refinery in Lemont working at the lab where she met her future husband Robert in 1960. They were married in 1962 and adopted two children Joel and Mary.

In 1960, she started her 57 year teaching career as the first lay teacher at Mount Assisi Academy in Lemont, Il as a Biology teacher. In 1963, she and her husband moved to Manila, Philippines for a year for his work, and she taught at the United States Embassy to the ambassador's children. Upon arriving back in the United States, Marlene continued with her teaching at various schools. When she taught at St. Marys School in Des Plaines, Il in the late 1980's, she moved on from Biology and created a new Computer Science class introducing Mac computers and various other new and innovative computer programs.

In 1998, she was nominated by a student and was entered in Who's Who Among America's Teachers annal.

In her final years of teaching, Marlene worked at St. Mary of the Woods in Lincolnwood, Il as a Resource Coordinator where she created projects for the students to supplement various subjects. Her passion close to her retirement was the environment and animal preservation, as well as history.

Marlene was a devout Catholic, who was especially close to the Blessed Mother, St. Paul, and St. Francis. She was a parishioner of St. Mary's in Des Plaines, Il for almost 60 years, where she was deeply involved with the church as a lector and various other church groups.

Marlene was a huge football fan, having season tickets to the Chicago Bears for over 40 years, attending every game.

She was also a big fan of the Chicago White Sox, attending games since she was a little girl. She even got to call out the start of a game on the field and meet the players in 2018.

Marlene loved to travel. Always up for an adventure. She has gone to Europe, Las Vegas and the Bahamas numerous times.

Mom also loved going to the casino where she enjoyed playing Blackjack and slots.

Mom was a big WWII buff, volunteering at Great Lakes Naval Base and even flew on a B17.

Marlene was a big fan of sports and muscle cars, owning many throughout her life, including a 1979 Corvette Stingray, and a 1990 Mustang LX V8 5.0.

Marlene was a loving mother and friend always lighting up every room she walked into. She was kind, generous, and compassionate. She left a lasting mark on everyone she met. She truly lived life to the fullest.

Marlene is survived by her son, Joel Bremmer, her daughter Mary Bremmer, loving cousins, and many dear friends.

She is preceded in death by her parents Joseph and Josephine Sczepaniak, sister Elizabeth Lobas, and husband Robert Bremmer.

Visitation will be held at Oehlers Funeral Home in Des Plaines, Il, Thursday February 27th from 4-8pm. Funeral will be held at St. Mary's Church in Des Plaines, Il, Friday February 28th, with an hour visitation from 1030-1130am and mass following. Burial will be at SS. Cyril & Methodius Cemetery in Lemont Il.

In lieu if flowers, please donate to the American Cancer Society.