SONICHSEN, Marian 1915-2011

SONICHSEN

Posted By: S. Bell
Date: 6/10/2013 at 20:47:17

Marian Sonichsen, age 96, of Arthur, Iowa, died Saturday, December 31, 2011, at the Odebolt Nursing & Rehab Center in Odebolt, Iowa. Funeral services will be held 10:30 a.m. Thursday, January 5, 2012, at the First Baptist Church in Kiron, Iowa, under the direction of Christensen-Huffman Funeral Homes. The Reverends Bruce Kaihoi and John Aiken will officiate, with burial to follow in Kiron Cemetery, Kiron, Iowa. Visitation with the family present will be held at Christensen-Huffman Funeral Home in Ida Grove, Iowa, on Wednesday from 4-8 p.m.

Marian Elizabeth Sonichsen was born on a farm in Ida County, Iowa, on October 30, 1915, to Edwin and Ruth (Larson) Turin. She was the oldest of four girls.

She received her early education in Hayes Township rural schools. Marian attended Kiron High School her freshman year and graduated from Ida Grove High School in 1932. After one year at Buena Vista College, she worked for her uncle, the Ida County rural school superintendent.

On July 5, 1936 (the hottest, driest summer ever), she was united in marriage to Carl Sonichsen at the Kiron Baptist Church parsonage. They farmed south of Arthur until Carl died in 1973. In 1977, she and her mother and sister, DeLoris, built a duplex and moved to Arthur. On July 1, 2011, she moved to the nursing home in Odebolt (ONRC).

Marian was very involved in church and community activities. She wrote many programs for school boosters, showers, and family fellowship, as well as the Arthur Centennial pageant. She taught Sunday school at the Arthur Baptist Church until it closed and then taught the adult class at the Kiron Baptist Church until her 90th year. She was a member of PEO Chapter CB, Horn Memorial Auxiliary, Colonial Manor Auxiliary, Women's Club, and several other organizations. She was well-known for her Monday letter that went to over 70 people weekly and her acts of kindness to all who knew her.

In addition to her husband, Carl, Marian was preceded in death by her parents and three sisters, Renea Ogren, DeLoris Turin, and LaVerne Austin.

Those remaining to cherish her memory are two daughters and their husbands, Peg and Cort Van Buskirk of Iowa Falls and Pat and Wayne Langhein of Springfield, IL; two grandchildren, Mark (Donna) Langhein of Arizona City, AZ, and Karleen Langhein of Springfield, IL; as well as nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Memorials may be mailed to 1602 Taylor Avenue, Iowa Falls, IA 50126.

[Source: Christensen-Huffman Funeral Home, Ida Grove, Iowa]