Marcelene "Marcy" Weitzel

With heavy hearts, the family of Marcelene “Marcy” Weitzel, share her passing on Monday, June 10, 2024. At the age of 94 years and one day, Marcy peacefully set sail with her daughters circling her in love at Fairway Pines Assisted Living in Sauk Centre, Minnesota.

Mass of Christian burial will be held on June 17, 2024 at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Sauk Centre with Father Greg Paffel officiating at 11:00 a.m. Visitation will begin at 9:30 prior to the service at the church.

Marcy was born June 9, 1930 in Sauk Centre to Fred and Julianna (Nathe) Schwartz. She attended St. Paul’s Catholic School (Holy Family School) and graduated from Sauk Centre Senior High School in 1948. Inspired by her home economics teacher, Marcy aspired to follow that path. However, her father was not keen on his daughter wandering too far from home. He arranged for her to become a telephone operator at the local phone company. She took great pride in the position and grew to love it, along with the people she worked with, building long-term friendships. One of these friends arranged a blind date for Marcy with Bud Weitzel. Things didn’t click, at first, but a few more dates turned things around and the rest is history. They were married on June 17, 1952 in St. Paul’s Catholic Church and moved to St. Paul, Minnesota where Bud worked for Great Northern Railroad and a little house on Arion Street became home. Away from the confines of her small-town upbringing for the first time, Marcy relished life in the city. With the arrivals of their first three daughters, she was busy, but content. Before long, Great Northern Railroad downsized with the efficiency of passenger jets, so the family moved back to Sauk Centre where Bud and Marcy bought a bulk-oil business and later a gas/service station. Three more daughters made a family of eight in a bustling brick house on Main Street.

As their chicks left the nest, Marcy became involved with the Sauk Centre Historical Society, the promotion of Community Concerts and, always politically informed, she was a poll worker during state and national elections. Marcy was a fan of Sinclair Lewis and served as a board member on the Sinclair Lewis Foundation. For many years, she enjoyed her role as a tour guide in Sinclair Lewis’ Boyhood Home and was actively involved in the annual Sinclair Lewis Writer’s Conference.

Marcy was a creative force, an idea person. What she lacked in execution, she made up for with enthusiasm. She was bright, clever, witty, resourceful, quirky and, at times, fragile. Marcy had an eagle’s eye for detail and strove for perfection - both a blessing and a hindrance in her life. She would not tolerate half-hearted efforts, poor grammar or spelling errors, often directing her children to the heavy dictionary on the bookshelf next to the volumes of Encyclopedia Britannica. She loved lively conversation, concerts in the park, limericks, the Pickles comic strip, corny jokes, a good belly laugh, babies, dogs, ice cream and newspapers. She latched onto and researched historical tidbits – especially about Sauk Centre. She had a memory like a steel trap and held a wealth of knowledge about the town, which she’d readily share. She delighted in treasure hunting thrift stores and antique shops with the best of intentions in finding the perfect spot for each of her gems. Many of her finds followed her to Lakeshore Estates and, later, Fairway Pines resulting in a truly charming apartment which included Bud’s prize-winning, eight-point buck mount watching over her.        

Left to cherish Marcy’s memory are her six daughters: Susan (Robert) Hoffman of Sauk Centre, Ruth Weitzel (Richard Peifer) of Melrose, Janet Weitzel of Maple Grove, Gail (Jeff) Thang of Alexandria, Carla (Roger) O’Hotto of Sartell and Ginnie (Michael) Steichen of Baxter; 15 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Harold “Bud” Weitzel on July 17, 2015; parents; brother, Richard “Dick” Schwartz.

Marcy’s family is deeply grateful for the devoted and compassionate caregivers at Fairway Pines and St. Croix Hospice. She was loved, respected and treated so tenderly throughout her stay. Her “helpers” never failed to fancy her up each morning with jewelry and a touch of makeup, right to the end, just as Marcy would have wanted. Many laughs and tears were shared with the staff and residents of Fairway Pines. They became family.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to Fairway Pines activities department and to their Friday afternoon Happy Hour, or to Holy Family School where Marcy, her daughters and many of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren attended school.

When you think of Marcy, remember she did the best she could. Those who knew her well will miss seeing life through her pretty blue eyes.