Marlene Mckeown

Marlene McKeown was born on June 21, 1933 in Glenwood City WI to Paul and Myrtle Niederoski, and was Patsy's first sister. She was freed from her ALS-paralyzed body on April 16, 2017 to join the love of her life, Jim McKeown, in heaven. She was also preceded in death by her younger sister Audrey.

After growing up in St Paul, Marlene went to St Cloud Teacher's College to become a first grade teacher. There, a blind date set up by her sister Patsy introduced her to her future husband Jim who was studying at St John's. Ever the practical woman, she insisted they wait over five years before marrying while he finished graduate school at Iowa State so he could get a job and they wouldn't have to live in the married housing Quonset Huts on campus. While he studied, she started teaching and went to the University of Minnesota after hours to finish her bachelor's degree.

Marrying on June 7th 1958, Marlene and Jim moved to Cincinnati where he worked for P&G. Living in Cincinnati also gave them the chance to figure out how to make a strong marriage without the in-laws nearby, advice they later passed along to their children. After their first child Michele was born in 1959, Marlene yearned to be closer to her mother so they moved back to Minnesota where they become 3Mers with a wide circle of friends. Colleen followed in 1962, and Jae in 1965. Raising their kids and supporting her husband's career was her priority, and she did it well.

Marlene was the consummate cook and hostess, both for their friends and for Jim's work colleagues. A self-taught gourmet cook, she kept meticulous notes on each menu and recipe, and rated them for worthiness to repeat. She had shelves of cookbooks and recipes, and probably made most of them.

As her children got older and in school, Marlene became active in the Mahtomedi schools and community. She served as a school board member for 12 years, and was a big supporter of the arts in education. More recently, they supported the new elementary school playground and were regular contributors to the Mahtomedi area food shelf. In fact, she was honored with the first ever Zephyr award by the Mahtomedi school district last fall for all her work.

Building upon her innate creativity, Marlene went back to the U of MN to get a degree in interior design, and then passed the ASID test on the second try, something most designers don't attempt even once. Her beautiful home reflected her design, as did others' homes through Marlene McKeown Interiors.

Social justice and political campaigns were ongoing passions. She prioritized the Tubman Family Alliance, Second Harvest Food Shelves and the Raptor Center among the many charities she supported. Marlene also campaigned door-to-door for several area Democratic legislators and initiatives like gay marriage and school levies. Last November, she was thrilled to be able to vote for a female presidential candidate, casting her absentee ballot as soon as it was available.

Family was at the heart of Marlene's life, and she didn't hesitate to share her opinion on what any of us should be doing. She loved watching each of her grandchildren grow and learn over the last 31 years, proudly sharing their accomplishments with friends and family. Marlene's heart was broken when Jim died unexpectedly on the 7th of March 2015, but when she noticed weakness in her arm cooking Thanksgiving dinner in 2015, her attention turned to figuring out what it was. Diagnosed with ALS in May 2016, the disease advanced quickly, paralyzing her arms and then her head and legs. She handled it with dignity, adapting to each loss of independence along the way. While she gave up a lot, until the end she kept up with her twice-weekly hair appointments so at least her hair could look normal.

While she loved flowers, Marlene asked that donations instead be made to the Tubman Family Alliance, the U of MN Raptor Center or the ALS Association of Minnesota.