It is with profound sadness and much love that the family of Marlene Kluthe announces her sudden passing on the farm on December 29, 2022 at the age of 81 years.
She will be lovingly remembered by her husband of 63 years, Rodney; sons Kevin, Dana, Darren and her daughter Corlaine (Duane); her grandchildren Michael, Kale, Keegan, Kiernan, Kirsten, Logan and 5 great grandchildren; Ainsleigh, Emersyn, Brinley, Maddox, and Maverick as well as numerous nieces and nephews. he is survived by her sisters Jeannette, Rita, Joanne and brother Jerry, brother-in-law Raymond Rumley, sister-in-law Louise Charest and long time friend Olivia Flores.
Marlene was predeceased by her parents Camille Charest and Clara (Charest) Erasmus: her brother Paul and sisters Doreen and Yvonne.
Our mother was raised in Morinville and had a love of animals as a small child, visiting her grandparents farm each summer. She said she was gifted with a pony from them for which she would ride for hours on end. She and our father were married Sept. 11, 1959 and both lived on the family farm all their lives.
Mom absolutely loved the farm life. She was always surrounded by her dogs she had bred for over 30 years to numerous stray cats and of course her horses. To say she was a hard worker is an understatement—from milking cows, plucking chickens, inoculating and tending sick animals and contributing in all aspects of the farm. She had once said that she would rather mend a broken chicken’s leg with a popsicle stick than being stuck in the house cooking or cleaning. The farm was her passion.
Marlene loved to put on parties on the farm and invite relatives and close neighbours. She loved the interaction with people and would chat for hours. People to this day still say her parties were the best they have ever attended. She loved going to the farmers market in St. Albert as well as greenhouses in the spring. Her love of gardening was profound and she spent several hours into the late evening planting her flowers and would always be so proud of the outcome. She was a night owl and loved to watch any show that dealt with animals. She was also addicted to Coronation Street and talking to her when it was on was fruitless. Loved banana splits and her wish was to visit the mountains in Jasper this upcoming summer. She always wanted to see the Sea Lions in San Diego and the volcanoes in Hawaii. Christmas meant nothing to her unless the house was decorated with lights and her illuminated deer were set up along the lane. You could see the farm lit up for miles.
She will be truly missed and will leave an empty void in all our lives.
“You never said I’m leaving, you never said goodbye. You were gone before we knew it, and only God knows why. A million times we needed you, a million times we cried. If love alone could have saved you, you would have never died. In life we loved you dearly, in death we love you still. In our hearts you hold a place that no one could ever fill. It broke our hearts to lose you, but you didn’t go alone. For part of us went with you, the day God took you home” Author unknown.
Visitation will be held on Friday, January 6, 2023 at 4:00pm in St. Albert Funeral Home, 9 Muir Drive. A private family service will be held at a later date.
Connelly-McKinley Funeral Home
St. Albert Chapel
(780) 458-2222
