Marilyn Lindahl

Marilyn Lindahl, age 89, of Ortonville, MN, passed away on August 22, 2019, at Ortonville Area Health Services Hospital.

Memorial services will be held on Wednesday, August 28, 2019, at 11:00 a.m. at United Methodist Church in Ortonville. Visitation will be held on Tuesday, August 27, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Mundwiler and Larson Funeral Home in Ortonville and will continue one hour prior to the memorial service at the church on Wednesday. Inurnment will take place at Mound Cemetery after the service.

Marilyn Jean (Allen) Lindahl was born on December 15, 1929, in Barrett, MN, to Russell and Thilda (Swenson) Allen. The family also lived in Elbow Lake and moved to Herman, MN, in 1936.

Marilyn graduated from Herman High School in 1947 and Moorhead State College in 1950. That fall, she began her teaching career in Clinton, MN. Mutual friends introduced her to Ortonville accountant, Paul Lindahl. They married on June 20, 1953, and had two sons: Gregg and Jay.

She was a member of Ortonville’s United Methodist Church, where she served as Lay Leader for 11 years and was active in the United Methodist Women’s organization. At the time of her passing, she was a member of the Three Church Pastor Parish relations committee.

Her true calling was teaching. After leaving the profession to raise her family, she continued teaching Sunday School for 35 years. She maintained friendships with many of her former students from Sunday School as well as, remarkably, many of her third-grade students who would call, write, and visit “Miss Allen” right up until her death.

Marilyn was a dedicated community volunteer. She was a founding member and past president of the Big Stone Healthcare Foundation. She served for 40 years on the board of directors for Ortonville Area Health Services, where she chaired two facility construction projects. In addition, she was a founding member of the Ortonville Economic Development Authority.

Her favorite roles though were wife, mother, and grandmother. Paul and Marilyn loved the lake and the outdoors. They taught their kids to camp, garden, golf, water ski, and snow ski (downhill and cross-country). The time spent with friends and family at their cabins on Cross Lake and Big Stone Lake were some of her most cherished.

Marilyn loved her bridge club, solving crossword puzzles, reading books, and was a passionate Minnesota Vikings fan. She was a zealous gardener of flowers – especially roses – and fussy about her lawn to the point of earning the nickname “Twigs” from Paul for her habit of immediately picking up any small branch or leaf that dared to spoil the look she worked hard to achieve.

Marilyn is survived by sons: Gregg (Libby) of Greensboro, GA; and Jay (Pam) of Chokio, MN; two grandchildren: Russell and Megan; a sister, Kay Giesleman of Apple Valley, MN; a sister-in-law, May Peterson of Granite Falls, MN; nieces, nephews, cousins, and many dear friends.

She was preceded in death by her father and mother, Russell and Thilda Allen; husband, Paul; sister, Patricia Schueller; and brothers-in-law: Don Schueller, Joe Giesleman, Clarence Lindahl, and Henry Peterson.

Memorials are preferred to the Big Stone Healthcare Foundation or First United Methodist Women’s Organization.