with her twin sister, older twin brothers, and older sister, raised by their mother, Doris,
and dearest Aunt Flo. She graduated from Harrisburg High School and married her young
love, Nick Varnalis, with whom she had her daughters, Lia and Kristina. Marlene and
Nick were together for 15 years before eventually ending their marriage.
In the late 90s as a single mother, Marlene was set up on a date with her later-to-be
husband, Tom. Both she and Tom started dating knowing fully that their children were of
the utmost priority. She often recounted the moment she knew he was “the one”: driving
down the street to meet Tom’s children for the first time, Marlene saw him playing catch
with his kids running and biking around in circles. She was immediately drawn in, seeing
the way he loved, bonded and cared for his boys.
In 2000, Marlene and Tom married, and their blended family was their life. They did
everything they could to unite the family under one roof. Using their own hands, they
expanded and refurbished the house so that their home could grow with their children. As
the children grew older, her favorite day of the year was Christmas Eve; it was the one
day each year that the whole family was together. She tortured the family, pets included,
to get her prized Christmas photo.
Raising the family was most important to Marlene, but she was immensely talented and
had many hobbies. Most notable was her ability to sew, crochet, and stitch, though she
was very crafty in general. She was a bookworm, a Harry Potter fanatic, and couldn’t get
enough musical theatre. Very passionate about music, she loved singing, often in
collaboration with Tom on the guitar.
Marlene and Tom were home bodies, but loved to be outdoors hiking or riding around on
the motorcycle. Her favorite place on Earth was Sedona, AZ, followed by the Florida
Keys and the mountains of West Virginia.
A ruthlessly hard worker, Marlene spent the majority of her career working for the State
in student loan financing. She filled numerous roles, from client care to administration,
and staff training to education. She touched many lives, helped so many, and was deeply
supported by her coworkers and work friends.
The last years of her life were committed to caring for her husband, who passed a year
and a half before her. She gave her life to him and was his rock. Once he passed, every
day was still about him. She lived to make him proud, continue his legacy, and support
their children. On December 3rd, she passed away at Harrisburg Hospital with her
daughters, twin sister, several other family members, and close friends.
Marlene is survived by her daughters, Lia and Kristina, stepsons, Tom, Alex, and Max,
granddaughter, Nina, twin sister, Marilyn, siblings, Chuck, Carl, and Darla, and their
respective families. Marlene was an amazing mother, sister, and friend.
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