Marlene G. (Marly)
Sandvig, 90, of
Bloomington, formerly of
Clarkfield and Minneapolis, passed away peacefully surrounded by family at Our Lady of Peace Hospice in St. Paul on Monday, May 1, 2023, after a short battle with pancreatic cancer.
Marlene Gertrude Jurgenson was born at home in Clarkfield to Martin and Annie (Hanson) Jurgenson on May 27, 1932, the youngest of five children. She was baptized, confirmed and married at Clarkfield Lutheran Church, where she has been a lifelong member. Marlene graduated from Clarkfield High School in 1950 and maintained a lifelong friendship with many of her childhood friends. She studied to become a medical lab technician in St. Paul, beginning work at the Montevideo hospital in 1951. On November 21, 1953, Marlene married Elmo Sandvig and to this union two children were born: Leslee Ellen and Kris Elmo. Elmo preceded her in death on November 21, 1977. Throughout her life, Marlene worked at both the Montevideo and Clarkfield hospitals, the Clarkfield Clinic for Dr. M. I. Hauge, the Clarkfield Care Center, Bethany-St. Joseph Care Center in La Crosse, Wis., and for 23+ years at her ‘retirement job’ as a Merry Maid. In 1988, Marlene relocated from Clarkfield to Minneapolis to help raise grandsons Hans and Per, who brought her great joy. Visits to Minnesota from her California grandchildren and her visits to their home were highlights in her life. To say Marlene was a proud grandma and great-grandma understates the depth of her love. As a newlywed, Marlene was a farm wife and then spent the majority of her married life living in Clarkfield in her childhood home, where she helped care for her aging parents. She was active in Clarkfield Lutheran Church ALCW, served as a den mother for Kris’s Cub Scout Pack, and as one of the ‘room mothers’ for Leslee’s grade school classes. Marly was a tireless fan of Kris’s athletic teams and Leslee’s musical activities. Marlene and her mother Annie cooked countless meals for the family and extended family who often visited from far and wide each summer, and they were seamstresses for any fashions not available from the Sears, JCPenney or Montgomery Ward catalogs. Marlene enjoyed two-week vacations on Lake Miltona every July for more than two decades. She loved accompanying Elmo when he drove school bus to football games, basketball games, wrestling matches and parades. Visits to her brothers and families on the West Coast, to her sister Marion’s family in Stillwater and to her sister Katy’s family in Wisconsin/Illinois were her favorite vacation destinations.
Marlene especially loved being “Aunt Marly” to her 14 nieces and nephews! Marlene is survived by her daughter Leslee Nestingen and her son Kris Sandvig and his wife Patricia; Leslee’s sons, Hans Nestingen and his wife Rosie and Per Kristian Nestingen; Kris and Patricia’s children, Kristina (Dan) Hicklin, Danielle (Shawn) Miller, Tara (Grant) Russell, and Zachary Sandvig. She is also survived by great-grandchildren Ava, Lilyanna, Nicholas, Charlotte and Grace Miller and Raine Nestingen and step-great-grandchildren Aimee and Matthew Hicklin, as well as her sister Katy Engelstad, several cousins, nieces, nephews and close friends. She is preceded in death by her husband Elmo, her parents, her father-in-law Elmer Sandvig, her sister Marion Carlson Hansen, her brothers, Robert Jurgenson and Harris Jurgenson, her brothers-in-law Russel Carlson, Donald Hansen, Eugene Engelstad, her sisters-in-law Evelyn Jurgenson and Dorothy Jurgenson, her niece Cathy Bonneville, her nephew Greg Jurgenson, and her son-in-law James K. Nestingen. The family wishes to thank Dr. Jenny Zhang of East Lake Allina Clinic, Dr. Paul Odenbach of Abbott Northwestern Hospital, and the remarkable staff at Our Lady of Peace Hospice for their competent and compassionate care. Marlene’s memorial service was held on Monday, May 8, 2023, at 11 a.m. at St. Peder’s Lutheran Church, 4600 East 42nd Street, Minneapolis, followed by a luncheon. Memorials may be directed to St. Peder’s Lutheran Church, Clarkfield Lutheran Church or Our Lady of Peace Hospice. Blessed be her memory.
