Marlyne Erickson
April 13, 1936-Oct. 18, 2023
Rugby
Marlyne Delores (Hagen) Erickson, 87, Rugby, died October 18, 2023, at the Heart of America Medical Center in Rugby, ND.
Marlyne was born at home in Columbus, ND on April 13, 1936 to Ole and Myrtle (Runningen) Hagen. She attended Coal Valley Mine School and Columbus High School, where she graduated in 1954. Marlyne made dear, life-long friends and happy memories.
Marlyne attended Minot State Teachers College, taught all grades in a rural Columbus school, and worked as a nurse aide at Lutheran Deaconess Hospital in Chicago for two summers where she had her first taste of pizza. She received her LPN license after attending the North Dakota State School of Science in Wahpeton and worked her favorite area, the nursery, at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Minot.
Marlyne met Duane during a meeting of the Christian League at First Lutheran in Rugby in 1957, and they were married at Columbus Lutheran Church on September 27,1958. They lived on a farm near Wolford for 35 years and raised four sons. Marlyne was active in the Wolford community. She volunteered for the PTA and music boosters, and taught both Sunday school and Bible school at Wolford Lutheran Church where she held several offices with Ladies Aid including president . Marlyne was the first woman elected to the Wolford School Board and served as its president.
She was a reliable presence in the bleachers during her sons’ basketball games–14 in one week once–as well as during school musical and play performances.
When her sons were older, she resumed work as a nurse in Rugby but was always available during harvest and school events. Duane retired from farming in 1993, and they moved to Rugby. They enjoyed many winters in Florida.
Her family was her great joy. Marlyne’s gentle nature, kindness, sense of humor, and generosity will be greatly missed. She is survived by her husband of 65 years, Duane;sons Jeffrey (Elizabeth) – Stockton, California; Jay (Kim) – Norwalk, Iowa; Robert (Linda) – St. Joseph, Minnesota; and Paul in Minneapolis, Minnesota; seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents and her three siblings, Dorothy Helseth, Landis Hagen, and Dennis Hagen.
The Erickson family is grateful for the staff at the Haaland Home, where Marlyne had worked for years, and Heart of America Care Center for their care in her later years.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, October 28 at 3:00 P.M. at First Lutheran Church in Rugby. Marlyne will be buried in Wolford Community Cemetery on Sunday, October 29 at 11:00 A.M.
Friends may call at the Niewoehner Funeral Home on Friday, October 27 from 5-7 P.M. A prayer service will be held at 7 P.M. www.niewoehnerfh.com
Published by The Pierce County Tribune, October 28, 2023.