Marjorie Jean Harn

Marjorie Jean Harn, 89, of Minnetonka, Minnesota, passed away peacefully on May 22, 2023. She was with her loving family in her final hours. Marjorie was born to Clifford and Margaret Meland in Sisseton, South Dakota, on October 14, 1933. She graduated from Sisseton High School in 1951 and received an Associate's degree from South Dakota State University at Brookings in 1953. She returned to college later in life and completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1992 from Bethel College in St. Paul, Minnesota. She married Claire Jerome Harn of Veblen, South Dakota, on February 7, 1953. They had five children, including a son, Mark Douglas, who died when only a month old. Marjorie and Claire moved their family to the Twin Cities in 1962, after successive years of drought and crop failures made their fledgling farming operation untenable. Her primary focus as a mother was on helping her family adapt and thrive in the Twin Cities. She worked for the Minneapolis Star and Tribune newspaper for several years and later became deeply involved in church work. She held lay staff positions at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, where she led the church's educational programs and developed a highly successful interdenominational summer program serving inner-city children in the late 1960's. She also served on the staff of University Lutheran Church of Hope near the University of Minnesota campus. During her long career, she also held positions at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, as well as Calvary Lutheran Church in Golden Valley, Minnesota. After her retirement, she continued to be active in community affairs, serving on a committee to enhance programs for the elderly in Hopkins, Minnesota. She was also an avid reader and continued to participate in her beloved book group well into her 80's so she could see her many friends. She enjoyed traveling a great deal, either guiding or participating in many senior adventures around the world. Marjorie was a doer and a highly effective planner and organizer, life skills she passed on to all of her children. She was never without a list of things to do each day. She loved her growing family above all else and nothing gave her more joy than seeing the family gathered together, especially for the annual Christmas Eve celebration. She was an independent thinker who always let one know exactly where she stood on an issue. We will miss her beautiful smile and the love she shared with us every day of her life. Marjorie is survived by her children, Jeffrey (Joan) Harn, Denise (Peter) DuBois, Renaye (Kimmy) Harn, and Michelle (Chuck) Lukkason, as well as grandchildren Alex Harn, Lisa (Nathan) Elliott, Tyler DuBois, Erin (Adam) DuBois, Hannah, Grace, and Emma Lukkason, and Nathan (Vera) Harn and their children, Marjorie's three great grandchildren, Win, Amelia, and Aiden Harn. Her surviving siblings include Robert (Joanne) Meland, Georgia (Arnold) Tostenson, and Mary (Jim) Balvin. Marjorie was preceded in death by her husband, Claire, her son, Mark Douglas, her sister, Betty Lou Meland, her brother, Gary Meland, and her parents, Clifford and Margaret Meland. Visitation 2 to 3 PM, with funeral service celebrating her life at 3 PM on Tuesday, May 30, 2023 at Oak Knoll Lutheran Church, 600 Hopkins Crossroad, Minnetonka, Minnesota. Interment will take place on May 31, 2023, following the 3:00 PM service (visitation from 2 to 3 PM) at Our Savior's Lutheran Church, 103 North Lund Street, Veblen, South Dakota. Donations may be made to the Alzheimer's Association (www.alz.org) or the Validation Training Institute (www.vfvalidation.org), which trains family members and caregivers to more effectively connect and communicate with elders who have cognitive decline.

Tributes

Marjorie Jean Harn

October 14, 1933 - May 22, 2023

Tributes

Marjorie Jean Harn

October 14, 1933 - May 22, 2023

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