Marlene Lake
LAKE, WONDER, PETIT, NIXON, SOBASKI, SILVAS, MORRISSEY, DAVIES, SMITH, WONDER, TENDALL, MANNING, CHILES, SOBASKI, SARGENT, BOOGER, SCHROEDER, BATHKE, MINOR
Posted By: Sarah Fletcher (email)
Date: 7/12/2023 at 11:54:43
Marlene Lake, 86, of Iowa City passed away with her family by her side on June 25, 2023 at Legacy Senior Living.
A funeral service will be Saturday, July 1, 2023 at 1:30 PM at Lensing Funeral and Cremation Service with visitation held prior to the service from 12:00 – 1:30 PM. Burial will be at Memory Gardens Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Iowa City Hospice.
Marlene Joyce Wonder was born on November 29, 1936 to Ferne (Petit) and George Wonder at home in Battle Creek, Iowa. She was the second of eight children. She grew up in a modest but loving home, with many cousins nearby, and graduated as valedictorian from Battle Creek High school in 1954. Ever humble, she would add that it was a class of 18. Thanks to the generosity of a local benefactor, who she eventually paid back, Marlene attended college at Wayne State Teachers College in Wayne, Nebraska. While attending Wayne State, she met who would become her future husband, Richard (Dick) Lake of Sac City, Iowa. After two years at Wayne State, she graduated with a teaching certificate and taught fourth grade in Moorhead. Independently minded, she wanted a year on her own before getting married. In June of 1957, Marlene and Dick tied the knot in Battle Creek. They moved to Irwin where both Dick and Marlene taught until she gave birth to their first child, Laura. They then moved to Avoca where Dick taught and coached. While in Avoca, they added Angela, Lesley and David to their family. In 1967, the family moved to DeWitt for two years, and finally settled in Iowa City in 1969 where Marlene and Dick remained until the present.
Marlene was a wonderful homemaker, providing nutritious meals, delicious desserts, and a constantly filled cookie jar. For many years in Iowa City, she and her dear friend, Joyce Ward, operated ‘Happy Times Preschool’. They taught a considerable number of children, including three of her grandchildren. She loved socializing with friends, whether it was through playing bridge and euchre, golfing in women’s leagues, participating in potluck dinners, book club and church activities. She also enjoyed playing cards and board games with her family, only revealing her competitive side when she was pitted against her husband as he triggered that in all of us by making it our goal to beat him. She was a member of PEO and St. Mark’s United Methodist church in Iowa City; she also sang in the church choir, and attended United Methodist Women meetings. Marlene was an avid reader and in the evenings you would catch her finally relaxing with a good book. She attended all of her children’s activities in music, drama, and many sports throughout the years. She adored her grandchildren and great-grandchildren when they came along and enjoyed spending as much time as she could with them.
Marlene and Dick loved to travel together. They were big campers when their children were young, sleeping all together in a huge Coleman canvas tent. Visiting relatives both near and far was often part of their summer vacations. Eventually, they upgraded from a tent to a small pop-up camper. As empty nesters, they even took the pop-up camper to Alaska. Later on, they spent several months each winter at a condo in Destin, FL. The two were able to say they visited almost all of the 50 states in their 66 years of marriage.
Marlene is survived by her husband, Richard; four children, Laura Lake (Charlie Nixon) of Coon Rapids, IA, Angela Sobaski (Joe) of Iowa City, IA, Lesley Lake (Kent Silvas) of Belleville, IL, and David Lake (Therese Morrissey) of Madison, WI; seven grandchildren, Erin Davies (Galen Smith), Jon Wonder (Becca), Alex Nixon, Hallie Tendall (Michael), Kelly Manning (Mitchell), Courtney Chiles (Chad), and Michael Sobaski; six great-grandchildren; and three siblings, Phyllis Sargent (Don) of Spearfish, SD, George “Bud” Wonder of Henrietta, NY, and Julie Wonder (John Booger) of Ida Grove, IA, and many extended family.
Marlene was preceded in death by her parents, and siblings, Barbara Schroeder, James Wonder, Janice Bathke, and Linda Minor.
Lensing Funeral & Cremation Service
Johnson Obituaries maintained by Cindy Booth Maher.
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