Marion L. Kirby Detjen

Marion was born Dec. 1, 1919 in Berkeley, California, the daughter of Walter William Kirby and Harriet Bentham Kirby. She lived in Oregon and California and traveled extensively in South America with her family in the 1930s.

She received training as a stenotypist and worked in California and New York City. On September 16, 1944 she married Gustav Detjen Jr., who preceded her in death in 1988.

Marion lived with her husband and their four children in Freedom Plains, N.Y. from 1952 to 1980. From 1980 to 1995 she lived in St. Augustine, Florida and she then moved to Jacksonville, Florida where she resided until 2001. She was an accomplished artist and gardener and was a member of mid-Hudson Valley gardening and bridge clubs. She loved animals and nature and lived with cats her entire life. Her cat, “Sunny,” will continue to live at Burcham Hills Retirement Center where she will be a companion for other residents.

Marion is survived by two daughters, Christine (Bill) Westendorf of Virginia Beach, Va. and Louise (Tom) Agne of Hyde Park, N.Y.; two sons, Theodore (Ruth) Detjen of Poughkeepsie, N.Y. and Jim (Connie) Detjen of Okemos; 11 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, Nov. 20, 2010 at 2 p.m. in the Ada Whitehouse Room of the Burcham Hills Retirement Center, 2700 Burcham Drive, East Lansing. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Capital Area Humane Society, 7095 West Grand River Avenue, Lansing, MI 48906.