Obituary for Marilyn J. Olufs (Seaquist)
Marilyn Jean (Seaquist) Olufs, 89, passed away peacefully, of natural causes, on Saturday, July 11th in Kenosha, WI. She was born in Chicago, October 25, 1930 to Gus and Ruth (Carlson) Seaquist. She graduated from Amundsen High School in Chicago and Augustana Lutheran College, graduating in 1952 with her B.S. degree in Speech Therapy. She was a member of Phi Rho Sorority and the synchronized Swim Team. It was at Augustana that she met her future husband Robert John Olufs and they married on June 8, 1951 in Chicago: a union of 65 years.
Marilyn was a proud first generation Swedish American. She grew up in the Andersonville neighborhood of Chicago and she became fluent in Swedish, mostly by listening under her door while her parents spoke with friends. Christmas at the house was a two-day Swedish celebration featuring the much-maligned Lutefisk and a second day smorgasbord of homemade Swedish meatballs, potato sausage, kalvsylta, rice pudding and abundance of cookies. There was always room at the table for guests and plenty of food for all. Marilyn treated friends as family, enjoyed long conversations, and will be remembered for her long goodbyes.
Marilyn practiced as a Speech Pathologist in Kenosha until she began her new career as a mother of five. Not one to sit still, she was active in her children’s activities, sports, music, and strongly advocated for educational equality. She was a Girl Scout Leader and with them, helped assemble one of the world’s largest quilts at the time. She also was an active member of the P.E.O Sisterhood from 1961, member of AAUW, and involved herself in multiple roles in the life of St Paul’s Lutheran Church. She enjoyed archery when she was younger and cross-country skiing with friends later in life. She and Bob also enjoyed traveling worldwide.
She took ownership of the Seaquist-Olufs Resort in Pine River, Minnesota after her mother’s passing and with the help of Bob, ran it until last year when she turned it over to the next generation. She enjoyed a lifetime of summers watching 5 generations of resort families growing up at her special place.
Marilyn is survived by her five children: Karen Olufs (John Dulaney) of Kenosha, Steve (Debbie) Olufs of West Salem, Karl (Barb) Olufs of Union Grove, Kathy (Ward) Neesen of Stevens Point, and Janet (Arni) Mahant of Kenosha, eleven grandchildren and three great grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her husband Robert, and parents Gust and Ruth Seaquist.
Services will be held privately but can be streamed at 12:30 p.m., on Thursday July 16, 2020, with a recording available on the Proko Funeral Home Website. To stream Marilyn’s service please copy and paste https://client.tribucast.com/tcid/7284927 into your web browser at 12:30 p.m. For those who wish to pay their respects, a visitation will be held on Thursday, July 16, 2020, at Proko Funeral Home from 3:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m., with limited family present (due to the current health crisis). In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Kenosha, Faith Lutheran Church in Swanburg, MN, or the local Kenosha PEO chapter.
Proko Funeral Home & Crematory
5111-60th Street
Kenosha, WI 53144
Phone: (262) 654-3533
Visit Marilyn’s Online Memorial Book at:
www.prokofuneralhome.com
Marilyn was a proud first generation Swedish American. She grew up in the Andersonville neighborhood of Chicago and she became fluent in Swedish, mostly by listening under her door while her parents spoke with friends. Christmas at the house was a two-day Swedish celebration featuring the much-maligned Lutefisk and a second day smorgasbord of homemade Swedish meatballs, potato sausage, kalvsylta, rice pudding and abundance of cookies. There was always room at the table for guests and plenty of food for all. Marilyn treated friends as family, enjoyed long conversations, and will be remembered for her long goodbyes.
Marilyn practiced as a Speech Pathologist in Kenosha until she began her new career as a mother of five. Not one to sit still, she was active in her children’s activities, sports, music, and strongly advocated for educational equality. She was a Girl Scout Leader and with them, helped assemble one of the world’s largest quilts at the time. She also was an active member of the P.E.O Sisterhood from 1961, member of AAUW, and involved herself in multiple roles in the life of St Paul’s Lutheran Church. She enjoyed archery when she was younger and cross-country skiing with friends later in life. She and Bob also enjoyed traveling worldwide.
She took ownership of the Seaquist-Olufs Resort in Pine River, Minnesota after her mother’s passing and with the help of Bob, ran it until last year when she turned it over to the next generation. She enjoyed a lifetime of summers watching 5 generations of resort families growing up at her special place.
Marilyn is survived by her five children: Karen Olufs (John Dulaney) of Kenosha, Steve (Debbie) Olufs of West Salem, Karl (Barb) Olufs of Union Grove, Kathy (Ward) Neesen of Stevens Point, and Janet (Arni) Mahant of Kenosha, eleven grandchildren and three great grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her husband Robert, and parents Gust and Ruth Seaquist.
Services will be held privately but can be streamed at 12:30 p.m., on Thursday July 16, 2020, with a recording available on the Proko Funeral Home Website. To stream Marilyn’s service please copy and paste https://client.tribucast.com/tcid/7284927 into your web browser at 12:30 p.m. For those who wish to pay their respects, a visitation will be held on Thursday, July 16, 2020, at Proko Funeral Home from 3:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m., with limited family present (due to the current health crisis). In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Kenosha, Faith Lutheran Church in Swanburg, MN, or the local Kenosha PEO chapter.
Proko Funeral Home & Crematory
5111-60th Street
Kenosha, WI 53144
Phone: (262) 654-3533
Visit Marilyn’s Online Memorial Book at:
www.prokofuneralhome.com