Marcheta Scribner

Marcheta Jeanine (Lund) Scribner
Scribner, Marcheta J. (Lund) of Saint Paul, died January 9, 2023, age 90. Beloved sister of Dennis (Carol) Lund of Reston, Virginia, mother (and grandmother) of Kirsten (Bruce) Mebust, (Solveig, Anna), Lisa (Scott) Sater (Brenna, Kelly), (Dan) Fee (Peder, Joe, Ellen), Maria (Chuck) Sommer, and Emily (Michael) Scribner-O'Pray (Grace, Ezra), and five great-grandchildren (Elise and Zoe Wong, Alistair and Otto MacDonald, Jasper Mebust). She was preceded in death by parents Hendrick and Mabell Lund, beloved husband Duane C. Scribner, brother Victor Lund, daughter Kathleen Fee, and grandson Sam [Essam] Sater.

Marcheta was born in Clarkfield, Minnesota May 30, 1932, and grew up in Boyd and Canby, graduating from Canby High School.  She remembered driving at night with her father and uncles out to the end of the rural electrification project where the lights ceased glimmering on the prairie and the horizon was dark. Her family struggled to make ends meet and she learned to make do, excelling in cooking, baking, sewing, and other arts of homemaking and survival. She learned to play the piano and loved music, substituting occasionally for the church organist. Out of her experiences growing up in poverty came a deep commitment to an expanded sense of family and compassion for those with less power and privilege than herself. She loved children and animals and received an Elementary Education degree from Moorhead State Teacher's College, where she met Duane. They were married at Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Canby Minnesota on June 14, 1953.
Marcheta taught public elementary school in Benson, Bloomington, and New Brighton, Minnesota until her growing family required her to work as a full-time mother and homemaker. Marcheta was a dedicated and active mom, ensuring her daughters got to Girl Scouts, sports practices, music and dance lessons. She sewed their clothes, cooked endless homemade meals, baked traditional Scandinavian treats, and always made sure there was ice cream in the house. Many children at Pratt Elementary School and University Lutheran Church of Hope knew her as the "cookie lady". When her grandchildren were born, she provided many hours of care and fun and taught them to bake lefse.

The family lived in Moorhead, Minnesota from 1960-1964 where she provided daycare for her niece Rebecca (Lund) Will. After two years in Minneapolis, they moved to Fairfax, Virginia, where Duane worked as chief of staff for Senator Walter F. Mondale from 1967-1969. During this time, the little girl from the prairie dined with Senators and Congressional Representatives and even ate dinner at the White House. She became known as a lively and gracious hostess of staff parties and family celebrations, and the guest room in their home was filled with visitors for more than half of the year. They returned to Southeast Minneapolis in the fall of 1969, where Marcheta and Duane lived for the next 30 years. While Duane worked for the University of Minnesota, two Minnesota Governors, and the Dayton-Hudson Corporation, Marcheta raised her family and extended her reputation for gracious hospitality and good food to Duane's colleagues, relatives, young people in family crises, people in various living transitions, and countless friends from across the US and abroad.

In addition to supporting Duane's demanding work and her sometimes demanding children, Marcheta found time to participate in church activities throughout her life. She taught Sunday School at Saint Philip's Lutheran Church in New Brighton, Minnesota, Christ the King Lutheran Church in Moorhead, Minnesota, Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Fairfax, Virginia, and University Lutheran Church of Hope in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She also participated in women's circles and other church women's groups. At  University Lutheran Church of Hope, she served on the congregation's governing board, call committees, and the Trust Board. She helped with choir robe sewing, the annual church rummage sale, served as wedding coordinator and was a leader in the Minneapolis American Lutheran Church Women.

Marcheta was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2000. She and Duane eventually lived for several years with their daughter and son-in-law, Lisa and Scott Sater. She moved to the Episcopal Church Home in Saint Paul in 2014. Even while struggling with memory loss and disability, she found joy in music and singing, visitors, and the caring staff. She was living at ECH at the time of her death.

A memorial will be held at University Lutheran Church of Hope in Minneapolis on Monday, July 24th. Visitation at 12:30 pm and service at 1:00 pm.

Memorials are preferred to:
The Employee Scholarship Fund of Episcopal Homes
(http://episcopalhomesfoundation.org/), scroll down to designate "Employee Scholarship Fund")
-and-
The Rolling Waters Fund at University Lutheran Church of Hope
(go to http://www.ulch.org/, "Give"menu, and look for the Rolling Waters Racial Justice Fund designation).