Meet Marie of Good Shepherd.
Meet Marie of Good Shepherd. Marie is a very active 83-year-old woman which supports that age is just a number! She was born at the St. Cloud Hospital in 1935 and lived in Sauk Rapids for a brief time. She and her parents moved to Minneapolis where she grew up. Since Marie was an only child, she enjoyed spending lots of time with a close friend who was part of a large and lively family. Marie moved back to Sauk Rapids in 1954 when she got married.
Marie and her husband had four children. Marie’s husband was in the Navy and then worked for the MN Highway Department. After just eleven years of marriage, her husband died in an accident which left her a widow with four young children. Marie worked as a Customer Service Supervisor at North Central Laboratories for twenty years. She then worked at Micro Biologics as a receptionist. She enjoyed her work, especially working with all the people. As a retiree, she still holds the position as an election judge in her precinct for all the elections.
Marie was and still is a dedicated mother. She shared that one of her greatest accomplishments was getting her kids through college. A funny memory from a Mother’s Day long ago is that her son gave her a crow as a gift! Marie is now blessed with eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. She loves spending time with all of them. She jokes that so far she is just penciling in their addresses because they are very mobile young families.
Marie has always been a very active member of the community. Over the years she has worn numerous hats and held a variety of offices and positions within her volunteer jobs. When her kids were young she was a Girl Scout Leader. She took her troop on many camping trips. They had countless fundraisers to support all their activities. Their biggest adventure as a troop was a trip to Mexico City. There they spent time with the local Mexican Girl Scout Cabana, volunteered in an orphanage and went site seeing learning about the history and culture.
Some of the other community organizations and positions that Marie held are Church Hospitality Coordinator; PTA Treasurer; VFW Auxiliary; Good Shepherd Apartment Community Tenant Council; Sauk Rapids-Rice Community Education Advisory Council. She also volunteers in the Nursing Home of the Good Shepherd Community, hosting a weekly Bingo for the residents.
Fifteen years ago Marie was in search of affordable senior housing in the Sauk Rapids area. She found that and so much more! Marie moved into Shepherd Oak West Apartments, and joined a wonderful “community setting with so much to offer under one roof.” She shares that it is a great place to live and especially appreciates the supportive and attentive staff.
When Marie is not out and about volunteering, shopping, running errands or spending time with her kids and grandkids she can be found enjoying activities in the apartment community. Some of her favorites are morning coffee group, monthly book club and a wide variety of musical entertainment events. In her spare time, Marie likes to read using her Kindle or watch movies on Netflix. Marie has taken part in several of the Shepherd Tours-Voigt’s Coach Bus day trips. They have offered many excursions including Paddle Boat Cruises on Lake Minnetonka and the St. Croix River, the Chanhassen, Old Log and Jasper Theaters, an Amish community and a winery and apple orchard just to name a few.
Marie believes strongly in life-long learning which is why she is on the Sauk Rapids-Rice Community Education Advisory Council. She also attends many of the Good Shepherd University (GSU) classes such as Nutrition Education and other health-related presentations.
Marie said, “I really like living here and I am going to stay here until I go to my other place.”
We are proud that Marie calls Good Shepherd home!