"My sympathy to Sharon and Dan Ihrke and all of Marilyn's family. May God comfort you."
In loving memory of
Marilyn Block
May 7, 1939 - September 9, 2016
HOFF CELEBRATION OF LIFE CENTER - 507-452-4241
Marilyn M. Block, 77, of Winona, MN died on Friday, September, 9, 2016, at Winona Health in Winona.
Marilyn was born on May 7, 1939, in Clark, South Dakota to Edward and Grace (Nagle) Benike. She was raised in South Dakota, where she graduated from Raymond High School in Raymond, SD. After high school, Marilyn moved to the Winona area to work on her Aunt's farm which is where she met Alton Block. Marilyn and Alton were married on May 31, 1958, in Raymond, SD. Marilyn farmed along-side her husband for many years. She was the editor for the cooking corner editorial page in the Winona Daily News for over 30 years. Family, cooking and baking were the most important things in Marilyn's life. She was a member of St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Winona.
She is survived by her husband, Alton; three children: Debra (Wayne Nisbit) Wait of Utica, MN, Sharon (Daniel) Ihrke of St. Charles, MN and Cynthia (Doug) Thesing of Wilson, MN; nine grandchildren: Randy (Kim) Frick, Rodney (Shalla) Frick, Tiffany (Scott) Anderson, Taylor (Melissa) Wait, Nicole (Keith) Whitehead, Lance Ihrke, Derek Ihrke, Brandon (Abby) Thesing, and Aaron (Amanda) Thesing; eight great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandsons; three sisters-in-law: Susan and Jean Benike and LaVonne (Ron) Speltz; and by many nieces, nephews and cousins.
She was preceded in death by her parents, three brothers: Charles, Carol, and David; a granddaughter, Rachel Frick, and by great-grandson, Jonathan McNally.
There will be a funeral service for Marilyn at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, September 14, 2016, at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Winona with the Rev. Karl Gurgel officiating.
Visitation will be from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, at Hoff Celebration of Life Center in Goodview, MN and one hour prior to the service on Wednesday at the church. Burial will be at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery in Wilson, MN.
Leave a memory of Marilyn and sign her online guestbook at www.hofffuneral.com
Tributes
"Our sympathy to Marilyn's family. Sharon, Dan and family, please know we hold you up in thought and prayer as you travel through this difficult time. May each passing day bring you less sorrow and more peace! Marlow and Deb Mielke"
"Family of Marilyn Block, So sorry to hear of Marilyn's passing. We Bollmans loved getting her recipes out of the paper. She always was kind and friendly to everyone she met. Remember all the good days as well as the not so good. They made each of you stronger because of the love you had for one another. GOD's blessings and comfort for all of you. The Robert and Marian Bollman family."
"Marilyn will be greatly missed by many! She was such a helpful and understanding lady! I'm glad I got to spend as much time with her that I did over the years and through different experiences! She is just another wonderful Angel God has to watch over each of us now and is with our good friend Rachel! Hug to you all, Tammy M. "
"My sincerest condolences go out to Sharon and all of the family. You're in my thoughts and prayers my friend. xoxox Laura S."
"My heart is aching! My parents (Stormy and Ginny Ekern) knew Alton and Marilyn many years ago from the farm. Mom and Marilyn were two of the best cooks and bakers around. After my mom died I knew Icould always count on Marilyn to either answer my phone calls or be at HyVee with her welcoming smile and a head full of recipes, ideas, suggestions and where to find what I needed. I will totally miss her but know that she and mom will be baking up a storm for all their company! RIP my friend. My deepest condolences to you Alton and family. Sandy (Ekern) Olson"
"Deb, our sincere sympathy to you and the entire Block family. "
"What a beautiful person she was. I loved chatting with her every Friday, when I did my grocery shopping at HyVee. Loved her recipes, her food hand outs, and even got lots of helpful tips for cooking and baking. I will miss her cheery smile. My sympathies to all. Joanne Brah.....a HyVee shopper "
"Our prayers and sympathy Sharon to you and your family. "
"My condolences to you all. I will always remember Marilyn in the kitchen when I would stay overnight with Deb as teenagers. I will treasure those memories always. Hugs to you all. "
"Dear Alton and family,
Words cannot even begin to express my sorrow in the loss of Marilyn, an extremely special gal in SO many ways. I always loved her stories of babysitting the Danekas kids. I'm sure we were quite a handful, but "Dubs" didn't seem to mind. My heart is with you and your family. Cherish the many beautiful memories; a precious angel is watching over you now. Love, Janet"
"My condolences to Marilyn's family and friends. I no longer live in the Winona area, but always login to WDN to get her ideas and recipes. She will be missed!"
"My condolences to Marilyn's family. I was so shocked to hear of her passing. I had a nice visit with her Friday afternoon when I was shopping at HyVee. I remember the days when we played 500 in our card club. "
"My condolences to the Marilyn Block family. I always looked forward to her section in Friday's Winona Daily News. I use many of Marilyn's wonderful recipes for my family. May she rest in peace."
"Dear Alton & family,
Oh, how we are going to miss Marilyn. She was a great Christian friend. Loved to visit and laugh, cook fabulous food, and loved to play 500. She will be missed by all who knew her. Our love & prayers to you all.
Colleen & Bruce Volkmann
"
"To the Block family, My sincere sympathy to you on the loss of Marilyn. She was a terrific cook. She contributed many recipes to the "Salute to Rhubarb" cookbook. I enjoyed seeing her either at Hy-Vee or Waumandee House on chicken night"
"This lady was one wonderful gal who loved to cook and share all her food recipes with us all not just through her page in the Winona Daily News each week, but with friends at HyVee giving out those samples of whatever. If you had a question about something you read in her column all you had to do was ask and she could tell you exactly what you needed to add just that little extra. I just saw Marilyn Friday morning at HyVee and she always loved my columns, too. Marilyn may you rest in peace my friend as I know you will be cooking up a storm in heaven."
"So sorry for the loss of Marilyn! I to would go on the Daily News to get more ideas for meals and desserts, even tho we live in Russell, Kansas! I grew up in Wilson and knew the Block family for years. I am Ken Keller's sister. (Judy) I am sure Marilyn will be missed. Prayers for the whole family!. "
"I'm so sorry for your loss. I remember Marilyn always being in the kitchen when I stayed over with Cindy on many weekends as a teenager. She always wanted to feed everyone and had a ready smile and chuckle! My Mom always loved to read her column. "
"So sorry to hear of Marilyn's passing. I looked forward to every Friday issue of the Winona Daily News to see Marilyn's recipes. "
"My sincere sympathy to all of Marilyn's family. She truly was such a genuine caring and loving person."
"To the Block family my prayers are with you. I worked at Ecno foods years ago and Marlyn was a demo lady,I looked forward to her reciepes every Friday morning in the paper. Marilyn certainly was a good cook. you will be missed by many."