Marlene Frances Faus

Marlene Frances (Field) Faus passed away peacefully the evening of September 12, 2021, at Sanford Medical Center in Fargo, ND, at the age of 90.  Her family had the opportunity to spend the day with her and play Marlene’s favorite polka music for her. When the family left for the evening, they didn’t know it would be their final goodbye.

Marlene began her journey in life on May 11, 1931 in Mayville, ND, to parents, Melvin and Lydia (Bondarenko) Field. When she was 3 years old, the family moved to a farm just east of Detroit Lakes, MN, where she grew up and attended country school.

As a young girl, Marlene worked hard helping out on the family farm where she learned her strong work ethic.  At the age of 17, she moved out on her own, cleaning homes and working at a café to support herself.  While working at the café, her brother introduced her to the love of her life, Douglas Faus.  She later found her calling when she worked as a nanny for a local Detroit Lakes family which would years later lead her to providing childcare in her own home.

Marlene and Douglas were married August 12, 1950 and made their home in West Fargo.  In the early 50’s Marlene and her sister in law packed up the kids in a 1950 Ford to join their husbands in Arkansas and then Kansas where they were working construction on air bases.  That was quite an adventure for the families. When Douglas and Marlene came back they would eventually buy their first home in north Moorhead where they would raise their daughter Linda and son Donald.

Marlene was a typical woman of the 50’s and 60’s, when her lady friends from the neighborhood, would gather at each other’s homes for coffee and gossip.  She also earned the title of “Mrs. Clean”. She was a meticulous housewife; one of those women who ironed sheets and pillow cases, dad’s jeans and even his t-shirts. She was a devoted wife, mother, and friend. One of the things she was the most proud of in life were their grandchildren, Shayne, Misty and Jacqui.

Marlene became a babysitter “extraordinaire” when it was common to take care of children in your home.  She loved taking care of children and teaching them to be good people.  She took care of some from the time when they came to her as babies including Lisa, Joshua and Amy. Some of the children and their parents would keep in touch with her over the years; the children referring to her as their second Mother or Grandma, which meant the world to her.

Douglas and Marlene decided to move in with their daughter in 2009 after selling their home of 40 plus years.  Douglas passed away on January 29, 2012.  After Douglas’s death, Marlene continued to drive her Ford Fusion, do her grocery shopping, have coffee at Sunmart visiting with anyone that would chat with her, she loved socializing.  In the Fall of 2017, she moved into the Fairmont Assisted Living facility in north Moorhead.  Douglas had worked there as a young man when it was the Fairmont Creamery so she was happy to have that connection and still be in north Moorhead. She enjoyed playing Bingo on Tuesdays, watching “Polka Spotlight” daily, and also “Shark Tank”.  Recently she found she enjoyed watching rodeos on TV when her favorite polka show wasn’t available ….who knew!

In July 2021, Eventide announced they were closing the Fairmont.  This was a difficult time for Marlene, as we had hoped this would be her forever home.  We were fortunate to find that River Pointe in south Moorhead was available.  Unfortunately, it meant leaving her Fairmont family whom she dearly missed. She settled in at River Pointe, enjoying the food, the people and her own apartment on the first floor.  Marlene was making new friends and keeping the staff entertained with her sense of humor; they loved her spunk and sassiness.

Marlene is survived by her daughter, Linda Laske, Moorhead, MN; son, Donald (Dee) Faus, Dilworth, MN; grandchildren, Shayne (Kari DeVries) Laske, Moorhead, MN, Misty (Kyle Roth) Saltzman Fargo, ND, Jacqui Kegel, Dilworth, MN, Christina and Brian; as well as many nieces and nephews.

Marlene was preceded in death by her husband, Douglas; parents, Melvin and Lydia; sisters, Ethel and Margaret; and brothers, Chester, Allen and Clarence.

A special thanks to Bev Wander and Joyce Logan who were such wonderful friends to our Mom.  Also to the staff members, especially Paula and Jackie at the Fairmont Assisted Living facility and those at River Pointe in Moorhead who our Mom was just getting to know, she  loved to joke around with the staff and also challenged them with her stubborn Russian attitude.

Visitation will be from 10:00 A.M. to 11:00 A.M., followed by the memorial service at 11:00 A.M., Monday, September 20, 2021, at Wright Funeral Home, Moorhead, MN. A livestream of the service will be available on Marlene’s webpage at www.wrightfuneral.com where a guestbook and video tribute may also be found. Final resting place will be at the Columbarium at Evergreen Cemetery, Moorhead, MN, at 2:00 P.M. later on Monday.