Marlene Kestermeier

Jan. 14, 1933 - Dec. 24, 2011
SOUTH BEND - Marlene was born on January 14, 1933 in South Bend, IN to Thomas and Martha (Wawrzyniak) Krol who preceded her in death. She was the youngest of three sisters. Marlene was raised in South Bend where she graduated from Central High School. On February 19, 1955, Marlene married William (Bill) Kestermeier who survives her. Marlene was a stay at home mom and devoted her time to raising her children whom she loved and adored. As a member of St. Joseph's Catholic Church (Mishawaka) for many years, she was a devout Catholic and was guided by her strong faith in God. Surrounding herself with family meant everything to our Mom. She was always there to support her husband, children, and grandchildren. At the recent wedding of her grandson, Mom and Dad were honored as the longest married couple at 56 years. Her great sense of humor and witty personality were a joy to all who knew her. She kept her family and friends entertained. She always had time to listen and was so wise in her advice. Marlene loved spending summers at Big Crooked Lake (Sister Lakes, MI) with family and friends every weekend. Her 4th of July parties were the highlight of everyone's summer. Meal planning for weekends at the lake and family events was one of Marlene's passions. Her Polish noodles and cabbage were always a crowd favorite. Making appetizers was another specialty of hers and she never minded the hours of preparation for her guests. Mom was a competitive card player and played in several bridge groups. Euchre games with grandchildren and their friends gave her much joy and she always played to win. In addition to being an avid card player, she also loved to read. Her wealth of knowledge was especially prevalent when watching Jeopardy each night. Although Jeopardy was one of Marlene's favorite shows, her family and friends all knew that Saturday nights were reserved for watching Lawrence Welk. Mom was also an accomplished artist in pastels and did many portraits of her family. Marlene also loved to spend winters at her and Bill's condo in Ft. Myers, Florida with many wonderful friends. She reveled in not seeing snow for over 15 years and enjoyed rubbing it into her children. Marlene is survived by her husband; her daughter, Jill (John) Logan of Carmel, IN and their son, Thomas; her son, James (Gail) Kestermeier of Granger, IN and their children, Phillip (Kristin) Kestermeier of Carmel, Kristin (Matthew) Marsh of Niles, MI and Bridget Kestermeier of Granger. She also leaves behind her two sisters, Elaine Molenda and Joan Sarber of South Bend, IN and other local relatives. Mom will be greatly missed by her close friends at 5 pm martini time where many stories and laughs were shared over the years. Her grandchildren will miss her home cooked meals that were made with love, as well as playing card games with "Grandma the card shark," but most of all they will miss the adoring pet names that she always called them by, for something as simple as "honey" or "baby" meant the world when it came from her. Jill will miss the daily phone calls she has shared with Mom over countless years. Jim and Gail will miss mom's spur of the moment phone calls asking us to find a grand child or two so we could all go out to dinner. Bill will miss spending time with his adored companion and life partner. Our family wishes to express our deepest appreciation to the SICU nurses and Father Henry Byekwaso at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center. To the compassionate and loving nurses and aides (our angels) and the staff at the Center for Hospice Care, we are most grateful for the care, love and dignity provided to our mother and the support given to our family. Visitation will be 4 to 8 pm Wednesday December 28, 2011, in the Kaniewski Funeral Home, 3545 N. Bendix Drive, South Bend, where a parish Rosary will be prayed at 7 pm. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 am Thursday, December 29, 2011 in St. Joseph Catholic Church, Mishawaka, with burial to follow in St. Joseph Cemetery, South Bend. Contributions in memory of our mother, Marlene, may be made to the Center for Hospice Care, 111 Sunnybrook Court, South Bend, IN 46637. To send online condolences, please visit www.kaniewski.com.