A 1956 graduate of Reading High School and a 1961 graduate of Albright College with a B.A. degree in French and English, she taught French at Garden Spot High School in New Holland, PA, for 5 years, substituted for Berks County school districts for 7 years, and retired from Hamburg Area School District in 2000 after having taught 7th and 9th grade English for 18 years.
She is survived by her sister, Anita L. Wentzel, Exeter Township, two sons: Michael E. (Nancy) Harlow, Woodbridge, VA, and Jeffrey A. Harlow, Exeter Township, five grandchildren: Devin, Kayla, August, Gannon, and Lynkyn Harlow, two step grandchildren: Ryan and Candice Diffenbaugh, and a great step granddaughter, Gracie Diffenbaugh. She is preceded in death by her brother, Richard C. Wentzel, and grandson, Dillon G. Harlow.
Marlene volunteered at the Exeter Area food pantry, had served as recording secretary on the Crestwood Pool Board, and on the Church Council and Social Ministry Committee of Schwarzwald Lutheran Church. Her husband, Michael, Chuck and Ellen Gallenger, and she founded the Exeter Area Soccer Club in 1986.
A viewing for Marlene will be held Saturday, August 9, 2025 from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM at Schwarzwald Lutheran Church, 250 Church Lane Rd., Reading, PA 19606. Funeral services will promptly commence at 10:00 AM, with Rev. James T. Farnsworth officiating. Burial at Forest Hills Memorial Park, 390 W. Neversink Rd., Reading, PA 19606 will follow.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in Marlene's memory may be made to Schwarzwald Lutheran Church
