Marlene June Trask

Marlene June Trask (Hohenleitner), age 93, passed away on Friday, January 16, 2026. She died peacefully in her home on hospice care after a several year battle with Alzheimer’s and skin cancer. Despite her struggle with Alzheimer’s, Marlene remained the kind, happy, and wonderful person that she was throughout her entire life.

Marlene was born in 1932 to Mabelle and Walter Hohenleitner. She grew up in Sellwood and graduated from Commerce (now Cleveland) High School in 1949.

In 1951, Marlene married the love of her life, James (Jim) Welby Trask. They were married for 65 years before his passing in 2016. Their marriage was filled with mutual respect, kindness, and a beautiful love.

Marlene and Jim had four children: Jeff Trask, Cindy

Ross, Julie DuPont, and Teresa Walton. They had 11 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren. Marlene was an incredible homemaker and also worked as a teacher’s aide at Creston Elementary School where she helped children learn to read. Some of her hobbies included quilting, bunco, volkswalks, gardening, and playing the piano.

We gather with full hearts to honor and remember a woman whose life was not loud, not showy, but profoundly beautiful. A woman whose greatest strength was her kindness, whose greatest joy was her family, and whose love quietly shaped generations.

We are here to celebrate the life of Marlene June Trask—a beloved daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, and dear friend.

Marlene was born in Portland to her devoted parents, Walt and Mabelle Hohenleitner, their only child and their pride. She grew up in Sellwood, a gentle and thoughtful girl—quiet, shy, and always kind. Even early on, Marlene had a tender spirit.

She loved playing the piano, writing letters to movie stars and carefully collecting their autographed photos, and sharing a special closeness with her cousin Shirley Fowler, the 1942 Rose Festival Queen, for whom Marlene proudly served as crown bearer during the coronation ceremony.

She graduated early, at just 16, from Commerce High School or today known as Cleveland High in 1949, and began working in a doctor’s office in downtown Portland. Though she was capable and accomplished, Marlene’s true calling would soon reveal itself—not in titles or careers, but in the life she built and the people she loved.

Marlene’s love story with Jim Trask began, fittingly, with kindness and a little humor. Friends arranged a blind date, certain these two would be a good match—and they were right.

Their first evening together included a missed dinner and a stop for hamburgers because Jim was starving. It was the start of a partnership filled with laughter and devotion.

They became engaged quickly, and when Jim suggested an April 1st wedding, Marlene—knowing her jokester husband—wisely chose April 8th instead, just in case he tried to claim it was all an April Fool’s joke. It was a story they loved retelling, always with a smile.

Together, Marlene and Jim built a home filled with warmth, routine, and unconditional love—first in Southeast Portland, and later in Gresham, where they lived together for many years.

Marlene devoted herself fully to raising her children—Jeff, Cindy, Julie, and Teresa—and in doing so, created something truly rare: a home where everyone felt safe, welcomed, and deeply loved.

Marlene had a gift for making people feel important. If you walked into her home near dinnertime, you were invited to stay. If you came home from school, there was the wonderful aroma of fresh-baked cookies or cake waiting.

She asked about your day—and truly listened. Her children’s friends adored her, because she treated everyone with the same gentle care.

Her life was rich with creativity and quiet joy. Marlene loved to sew and quilt, making seasonal decorations, angels, dolls, witches, potholders, wall hangings, and treasured handmade gifts that still carry her touch.

She sewed clothes for her children, Barbie outfits, and later poured her love into beautiful quilts. She gardened, played the piano, bowled in a league with Jim, went on Volkswalks, played Bunco with her friends, and embraced every gathering that brought people together.

She volunteered generously—serving as PTA President, helping at church, and working as an aide at Creston Elementary in the HOSTS program, patiently helping children learn to read.

She lived her Christian faith not just in words, but in action—attending Trinity United Methodist Church faithfully and embodying what it means to love without judgment, to include without condition, and to accept others exactly as they are.

If Marlene had a superpower, it was kindness. She truly never had an enemy. Over and over, people told her children, “Your mom is so sweet.” And she was. Loving, selfless, gentle, giving, and trusting.

She lived the Golden Rule every day—do unto others as you would have them do unto you—and she taught it simply by example.

She had her charming quirks too. Her beloved “Marlene stories,” lovingly teased for including every detail imaginable whether important to the story, or simply “mom what are you talking about?”, it was all part of her magic.

Not without one fault, Marlene was often late, leaving Jim waiting patiently in the car. She affectionately called people “rascal.” She adored Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Barbra Streisand, Barry Manilow—and joked that Hugh Jackman was her “boyfriend.” She was, as her children lovingly say, practically perfect in every way, maybe just a little tardy.

Above all else, Marlene was most proud of her family. She loved being a mother and Grandmother to Jordan, Stephanie, Nick, Alison, Matthew, Jacob, Jennifer, Jared, Colleen, Heather, and Jamie. Her legacy lives on in them—in their kindness, their warmth, and their capacity to make others feel loved.

Those who knew Marlene remember one overwhelming feeling: being safe. Being cared for. Being welcome. Her life reminds us that goodness does not have to be loud to be powerful, and that love—quiet, steady, and sincere—can change everything.

Marlene, thank you.

Thank you for loving so purely, for giving so freely, and for showing us—every single day—what kindness looks like in action. Thank you for the home you created, the values you instilled, and the way you taught simply by living your life with grace.

You lived fully, not by chasing attention, but by choosing compassion. You poured your heart into your family, and in doing so, you gave us a blueprint for love that will guide us always.

We will carry you with us—in every act of kindness, every welcoming table, every gentle word, and every moment we choose love. Rest peacefully, sweet Marlene. Your work here was beautiful, and your love will never leave