Delsie Marienau

Delsie Vera Marienau passed away in Punta Gorda, Florida on March 2, 2015, while visiting family. Funeral services will be held Friday, April 17, at 3:00 p.m. at Christ Our Redemeer Lutheran Church 1900 W. Pine Street in Sandpoint, Idaho. Pastor Steve Nicodemus will be officiating. A reception will follow at her home 1072 Syringa Heights. Delsie was born on Odebolt, Iowa on November 1, 1931 the daughter of Robert and Mamie (Gonnerman) Harman. Delsie was the first of eight children. She grew up on various farms throughout Iowa, where she learned to work hard and play hard. The family settled in Sac City, Iowa. She graduated from Sac City High School in 1950. Then attended The University of Iowa and met her future husband, Fred Marienau, on a blind date two weeks into her freshman year. Delsie graduated with a degree in nursing in 1953. She and Fred married August 31, 1953. She went to work as a R.N. and Fred enlisted in the Navy to help pay for his medical school. Fred and Delsie were stationed in Washington, D.C. , Corpus Christi, Texas and Bremerton, WA. After the service, Fred and Delsie tried to start their medical practices in Sandpoint, ID, Fort Benton, MT and Sac city, IA. They decided there was only one place they wanted to live and moved back to Sandpoint, ID. Delsie and Fred had seven children , Fred born in Corpus Christi, TX, Eric born in Sandpoint, ID, Rebecca born in Ft. Benton, MT, Mathew, Sarah and Mary all born in Sandpoint. Then along came Wally, adopted in Sandpoint in 2001, at the tender age of 51. Delsie became involved in the community as soon as she moved to Sandpoint. She was a superintendent of the flower department at the Bonner County Fair, member of Beta Sigma Phi, Boy Scout Leader, Girl Scout Leader, member of the Bonner County 4-H horse council. She loved to be involved in her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren lives. Delsie and Fred opened their home to many teenagers who needed a place to live. They welcomed not only their children and grandchildren but also many other children. At times, Delsie would be cooking, cleaning, gardening, sewing and washing clothes for 10 kids. One of these bonus grandchildren described Delsie and Fred as "A mother to the motherless and a father to the fatherless." Delsie loved to travel. She was an excellent seamstress and enjoyed making her children clothes and costumes. She crochet rag rugs to give to her family for graduations, weddings, and birthdays. She was an avid gardener and always canned the bounty from her garden. She loved flowers and Dahlias in particular. Her desire to encourage her grandchildren and other children to grow and enjoy Dahlias lead her to drive them to Spokane once a month for Dahlia 4-H since there was a program thru dahlia club that gave the 4-H members free tubers. The next year she started a new dahlia 4-H project for the Bonner county kids. Delsie made lifelong friends thru her Memberships in Beta Sigma Phi, the Garden clubs of Spokane and Bayview, Montana Dahlia Society, Spokane Dahlia Society and the Ikibana Club of Spokane. Delsie always encouraged her children to see the best in people. One of the many saying she repeated often to her children was "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all". She liked to have fun and she like helping others have fun. She had an adventurous spirit. Delsie is survived by her children, Wally (Milah) Marienau, Fred John (Lorrie) Marienau, Eric Marienau, Rebecca (Edward) Hawkins, Matthew Marienau, Sarah (Todd) Mitchell and Mary Marienau, her grandchildren, Angela (Ed) Schwab, Nicole (Justin) McMillan, John (Malou) Marienau, Jay, Jake, Ella, Rose and Fred Marienau of Punta Gorda, FL, Erica (Chris) Currey of Dillion, CO, Rachel (Kelly Thompson) Marienau of Kootenai, ID, Paul (Ali) Marienau of Worley, ID, Jarae (Graham Moffet) Marienau currently in India, David Marienau of Kootenai , ID, Elizabeth (Pat) Hawkins-Williams of Sandpoint, ID, Christopher (Emily) Hawkins of Caldwell, ID, Nicholas (Kristin) Hawkins of Sandpoint, ID, Brandon Hawkins of Sandpoint, ID, Sophia (Kyle) Baker of Sagle, ID, Adrian Mitchell, of Sandpoint, Mamie Mitchell of Sandpoint, Laurel Presser of Sandpoint, and Tyler Presser, Sandpoint. Many bonus grandchildren, especially, Brooke and Holly and 16 great grandchildren. Delsie was preceded by her husband, Fred Marienau, her parents, Robert and Mamie Harman, her sister, Sharon, and sister in laws Dee and Rose Harman. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to Bonner County Fair 4203 N. Boyer Rd, Sandpoint, ID. 83864