Marilyn Parke Haberstroh

Marilyn Neils Parke Haberstroh 96, was born on June 5, 1928 in Libby, Montana. Her parents, Alma and Walter Neils brought her into a family with three older brothers, Edward, Richard and Herbert Neils. She graduated from Libby High School in 1946 and the University of Montana with a BA in English in 1950. Marilyn thrived academically and socially at UM and fondly remembered starring in college theatrical productions. She met her husband Robert Parke at UM and they were married in 1951. The young couple moved to Seattle WA and then to Davis California, where Bob pursued his Masters and PhD in Botany. Marilyn taught Jr. High School in CA where their first two children Rob and Gayle were born. In 1956, they moved to Fort Collins where Bob was hired as a Botany Professor at Colorado State University. Her third and fourth children Lynn and Rich were soon born in Fort Collins. Marilyn loved to travel and she shepherded her family on many great adventures including a year-long trip to Africa in 1964, trips to Tahiti, Mexico, Hawaii and yearly station wagon trips to the Pacific Northwest. She and Bob were early investors in Water Pic, which afforded them the opportunity to design and build Marilyn’s dream house affectionately known as “1209”. She welcomed children to 1209 which served as the de-facto recreation center for a generation of lambkins. Marilyn returned to graduate school at CSU where she earned her MA in Education in 1976. She taught reading at Moore Elementary in Fort Collins and published a series of children’s books about Mexican folk legends. After Bob’s passing in 1996, Marilyn married Robert Haberstroh, PhD in 1998 and the couple were happily married until his sudden passing in 2013. Marilyn lived a life of faith, family and fellowship. She is preceded in death by her parents, her three older brothers and her spouses Robert Parke and Robert Haberstroh. She was very proud of her legacy and is survived by her four children, son Robert VerDean Parke Jr., of Sun City, Arizona, daughter Dr. Gayle Parke Crawford, MD, (Jeffrey) of Denver, Colorado, daughter Lynn Parke Castle (Kristopher) of Beaumont, Texas and son Richard Neils Parke (Margret) of Palos Verdes Estates, California, Nine grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren. Funeral services will be held on Monday Nov. 4 at 10:30am Redeemer Lutheran Church, 7755 Greenstone Trail, Fort Collins, CO 80525.

If you are unable to attend in person you can watch the livestream at: https://live.redeemerconnect.com

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Redeemer Endowment Fund at

redeemerconnect.org and/or RIF.org , a group very dear to Marilyn’s heart putting books in the hands of children and to instill a joy of reading.