Marilyn E. Neiman

She had been diagnosed with dementia 13 years ago and was in a memory care unit for the past seven years at the Apple Valley Villa.

Her memorial service will be held at Christus Victor Lutheran Church, 7510 Palomino Drive, Apple Valley, MN 55124 on Monday, August 23.

Marilyn was a long-time resident of Escanaba, Mich., where she was an active member of the community from 1962 to 2001. She moved to Minnesota to be near her daughters after her husband, Arthur Neiman, passed away.

Marilyn was born in Birch Run, Mich., a small town in the Lower Peninsula, on November 28, 1933, to Claude and Ethel (Hanes) Reid. She was the youngest of three siblings. She attended school in Birch Run and graduated from Birch Run High School in 1951.

After high school, she attended Central Michigan University for two years. She worked various secretarial jobs after college. In 1955 she worked at Parke Davis when she met her husband, Arthur Neiman, on a blind date and they married five months later.

In 1957 the newlyweds moved to Munising, Mich. in the Upper Peninsula. She worked for the Alger County Probate Court as a secretary. They were active members of Eden Lutheran church. In 1962 the family, now four in all, moved to Escanaba. She attended Bethany Lutheran Church and was very active in the Senior Choir, sang solos, LCW President, the women’s circles, etc. Other interests included the League of Women Voters, member of the Lawyers Wives and in 1970 an Enumerator for the Census Bureau. She loved to entertain family and friends whether at home or at the family cabin.

During the late 1960s and early 1970s, Marilyn participated in the community theater, Players de Noc. In 1969, she was honored to be the lead in the musical “Li’l Abner” as our own Daisy Mae. She also participated by singing in the chorus for “My Fair Lady” and “Mame”.

With needle and thread, Marilyn was a master seamstress. She made clothes for her two daughters and then her granddaughter and ­grandson. Being a wonderful seamstress led her to being a member of the East Ludington Gallery, where she was a fabric artist.

In the late 1970s and into the 1980s, Marilyn worked at the Mata Brown Shoppe, a women’s dress shop in Escanaba. Here she modeled clothes for luncheons that were hosted at the House of Ludington.

The love of travel was a big part of Marilyn’s life. She was lucky to have been in every state in the U.S. except Alaska. Her last trip was to England and Ireland, which was a highlight for her researching her family roots. When she wasn’t traveling, she would be found at the family cabin near Munising, Mich. where she spent most of her summers until her dementia wouldn’t allow it any longer.

Moving to Minnesota in 2001 was a good decision. She was able to be near her daughters and participated in the events of their lives. She attended all her grandchildren’s sports, concerts, piano recitals, church events, etc. She was also an active member of Christus Victor Lutheran Church in Apple Valley, Minn., where she was a member of the Sr. Choir for 10 years. She participated in many activities at the Apple Valley Villa, which included singing for the Christmas events.

Family was very important to Marilyn. In the later stages of dementia, she would love to have family around her. She is survived by her daughter, Sharilyn (Neiman) De Grand and son-in-law, Alan De Grand; her daughter, Deborah (Neiman) McCann and son-in-law, John McCann; also, her granddaughter, Courtnie De Grand, and grandson-in-law, Michael Higgins; grandson, Brice De Grand, and granddaughter-in-law, Danielle Isaacson; three great-grandchildren, Viola Higgins, Arthur Higgins and Otto De Grand; two sister-in-laws and several nieces and nephews and great-nieces and nephews.

Family preceded her in death are her husband of 43 years, Arthur A. Neiman; parents, Claude and Ethel Reid; brother, Ward Reid; sister-in-law, Leona Reid; brother, Elwyn Reid; sister-in-law, Lois Reid; sister-in-laws and brother-in-laws, Ernie Neiman, Gene Neiman, Anita (Neiman) Vorpagel, and Maeta (Neiman) Pollak.

Please send memorials to the Alzheimer’s Association at www.alz.org.