Marjorie I. Handke

Mrs. Marjorie I. Handke, age 82, a lifelong resident of Clark County died at the Beverly Health Care Center at Clark on Saturday evening, March 19, 2005. She was of widow of Wayne Handke. Funeral services will be held on Friday, March 25, 2005 at 1PM in the United Methodist Church at Clark with the Reverend Warren Rhodes officiating. Music will be presented by Marvine Obermeier as organist with Wendy Christman and Marvine Obermeier singing "In the Garden" and "On Eagle's Wings". Also providing music will be a piano solo, "Claire de Lune" by Dorothy Fuller and a flute solo "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desire" by Chris Stevens accompanied by Dorothy Fuller. There will be congregational singing, "Eternal Father Strong to Save" and "Hymn of Promise", as well. Casketbearers will be Kent Lorentzen, Walter Smith, Tom Conzet, Fred Obermeier, Steve and Joe Peters, Dave Adam and Brad Stevens. Burial will follow in the Rose Hill Cemetery at Clark. Visitation will be held on Thursday from 5-7 PM at the Furness Funeral Home in Clark and after 11AM on Friday at the Church. She was born at Cedar Rapids, Nebraska on March 6, 1923, the daughter of Ernest and Bertha (Bourn) Anderson. The family moved to Highmore, SD in 1928 where she attended grade school. In 1936 they moved to Clark and she attended Clark High School. On October 1, 1941 she was united in marriage to Wayne Tipler Handke. They lived, farmed and raised cattle on the Handke homestead in Woodland Township, 16 miles northwest of Clark. She and Wayne had two daughters, Carol and Susan. In 1991 they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. Mr. Handke died on May 8, 1996. She continued living on the farm until moving into the Roetell apartments in the fall of 1996. Recently she lived in the Fay Wookey assisted living center until becoming a resident of the Beverly Healthcare Center at Clark last November. Rev. Whalley confirmed her in the Logan Church in the late 1930's. She was a charter member of the Nimble Fingers Extension Club, serving all offices. She served as treasurer of the Woodland Township Board and was a member of the United Methodist Church at Clark and the Mary Martha Circle. Marjorie will long be remembered for being a wonderful homemaker, loving her home, and beautiful flower gardens. The holidays were a magical time with dresses for the girls that she had sewn and family dinners she prepared. She had an interest in history and liked to read. Her husband Wayne and she shared a love for the country and the nature around them. They shared a common interest in beautiful dishes and spent many wonderful hours together colleting them. Marjorie loved to set a beautiful table for a family dinner with some of those dishes. Grateful for having shared in her life are her daughters, Carol Jeanne Stevens and husband Sheldon of Eau Claire, WI and Susan Handke and friend Kent Lorentzen of Roseville, MN; 2 grandchildren, Brad Stevens and wife Christine and Darci Adam and husband David; 3 great grandchildren, Emma, Sheldon and Grace Adam. She also leaves a brother, Walter Anderson and wife Gardena of Clark and many nieces, nephews, cousins and a host of friends. Preceding her in death were her parents, husband, and sisters, Harriet Peters and husband Emery and Helen Smith and husband Robert. Email condolences publicly or privately at www.furnessfuneralhome.com.