Marlene Gamber, age 89, of Huron, passed away at her home.

View Marlene's Funeral Folder

Her funeral service was held at 1:00 PM, Wednesday, August 27, at the First Presbyterian Church. Burial followed in the Restlawn Memory Gardens Cemetery. Her service was live-streamed.

Visitation with family present was held one hour prior to the service at the church on Wednesday.

On January 13, 1936, Marlene Dilley was born at her aunt's house in Redfield, South Dakota, to Clark and Ora Dilley. She was the daughter of hard-working farm people. She graduated from Bonilla High School.

On a blind date, she met Charles Gamber, whom she fell in love with and married on March 23, 1957. Together, they had three children, Bruce, Roxanne and Mark. Marlene worked from her home while raising their children.

Marlene's first job working outside the home was in the coffee shop in the federal building. She and Charles spent many weekends camping with family and the Huron Rovers Camping Club. Camping is something she continued doing with the club with the purchase of her own mini motorhome.

After the death of her husband in 1993, she spent years volunteering her time. Marlene was a Lioness and worked at many Pancake Days, packed backpacks for the local backpack program, was part of the Presbyterian Women, volunteered to help with the Logos program at First Presbyterian Church, and sang in the church choir for decades. She was a part of the line dancing group that performed at the nursing home. There are many more places she donated her time at. COVID put an end to many of those groups, but she persevered and continued to find places to donate her time.

She was a person who loved her friends, her church, and her family.

The family members who were blessed to have shared her life are her children, Mark (Karen Winson) Gamber of Huron and Roxanne Merchant of Sioux Falls; her grandchildren, Joshua Merchant of Sioux Falls and Amanda Gaudet of Sioux Falls; her great-grandchildren, Loreta Hernandez and Rayn Light, both of Sioux Falls.

Then there are those who were in the First Presbyterian Church family, extended family and the many groups where Marlene spent her time.

Those who left Marlene's life way too soon include her son, Bruce; her husband, Charles; her brother, Darel; and an infant sister, Delores.

There are so many people who benefited from her time on this Earth, and she will be missed.

View Marlene's Floral Arrangements