Marlene Ann Huyck

Marlene Ann Huyck

July 19, 1936 - Feb. 1, 2026

Marlene Ann Huyck, 89, died Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. She was a devoted wife and mother, dotting grandmother and great-grandmother, lover of cats, and friend to all who met her.

Marlene was born July 19, 1936 to Anton and Ruth Litchy on the family farm in Holdingford, Minnesota, one of a set of twins with Marilynn. Being born in the middle of the Great Depression made life tough, but the Litchy family worked hard on the farm. Marlene was no different, doing chores, from those around the house to the annual "picking rocks" in the fields after the snow had melted. There were even chances for entrepreneurship. Marlene would grow cucumbers in the family garden, and then sell them to the local pickle company.

Always curious, Marlene excelled at school and graduated top of her class at Holdingford High School in 1954. For her valedictorian address, Marlene used her mother's salutatorian speech from 1926. At 17, she moved to Minneapolis where she worked for the Minnesota Highway Department, followed by secretarial and bookkeeping positions at several firms. This included two years working at the Metropolitan Building, a historic Minneapolis site built in 1890 and then torn down in 1961.

During this time, she also met John Huyck. The two were married on Aug. 24, 1957. Marlene left work in 1959, shortly before daughter Sharon was born. The next decade and a half were focused mainly on raising a family, with three boys (Michael, Patrick, and Edward) following in the 1960s.

Once the youngest started school, Marlene returned to work, including many years at Dresser-Rand Industries as a secretary, office manager, and eventually controller. These years were full of growing children with diverse interest. She gamely took them to their Boy Scout meetings, school plays, or movies playing at downtown theaters. And while Marlene and John wanted their children to excel, the only class that they ever required the children to take was typing, knowing it was a skill they would need for whatever path they took.

There were vacations: to Wyoming and Oklahoma, the Black Hills and Manitoba, Milwaukee and Washington, D.C. There were also regular camping trips to property the family owned near Moose Lake, Minn. (though after one trip sleeping on the ground in a sleeping bag, Marlene insisted that she have a cot in the future).

There were also family get-togethers, especially at the family farm in Holdingford. And while Marlene was close to all of her siblings, she had a special bond with her twin sister, Marilynn.

In January 1994, John was severely injured in a car accident. From that point until his death, Marlene became her disabled husband's caretaker. Even with this, the two were able to travel around the United States to visit their siblings, their children and grandchildren, or to see new and interesting places. Marlene and John made many trips around the Midwest visiting opera houses (and if there was a cat at a nearby library or bookstore, all the better). For their 50th anniversary, the two took a train trip out west.

After John's death in 2018, Marlene remained active, making multiple trips to the library each week, attending her longtime church, St. John the Baptist, and taking care of generations of stray cats who flocked to her home.

Marlene was proceeded in death by husband, John, grandsons Daniel and William, parents Ruth and Tony Litchy, twin sister Marilynn, and brothers David and Don.

She is survived by children Sharon (Brad) Breeggemann, Michael, Patrick (Lynn), and Edward; grandchildren Lee (Birch) Breeggemann, KC (Pat) McDermeit, Liz (Thomas) Lura, Emily (Martin) Gabrielsen, Benjamin (Stefany) Huyck, great grandchildren Wren, Noah, and Edith, brother Bill (Char) Litchy, and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m., Feb. 23 at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, 835 2nd Ave NW, New Brighton, MN 55112. A wake will be held one hour prior to the Mass.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to the Friends of the Ramsey County Libraries, or the Anoka County Friends of the Library.

The family would like to thank all the emergency personnel for their assistance.