Marlene Thies
Marlene Margaret Thies, 79, returned to her heavenly home Wednesday peacefully in her sleep.
Marlene was born April 11, 1937, in Detroit, Mich., to the late William Christian Thies and Phyllis Mary (Burrows) Burry Thies Krenich, an industrial salesman and a homemaker, respectively.
She was immersed in the Christian community that would be her lifelong support from an early age.
She graduated from Cooley High School in 1955 and started working at Standard Accident Insurance Co. in Detroit as a typist and clerk.
Marlene was blessed with a large and loving family. She was kind and soft-spoken and served as family historian because she had the ability to recall events of the past with clarity.
She was baptized and confirmed at the Epiphany Lutheran Church in Detroit and upon moving to Pennsylvania in 1985 active within her home church at the All Saints Evangelical Lutheran Church and Student Center.
Marlene was involved in the Lutheran Women's Missionary League (LWML) and attended Bible studies regularly. She was an avid film buff, whose hobbies included collections of movie memorabilia and photos. She loved animals and nature and was a longtime member of the Sierra Club.
Marlene served as co-caregiver for her mother during Phyllis's time of illness. Marlene is dearly missed by her loved ones, who celebrate the fact that she is at peace with her Creator.
Marlene is survived by her brother, William Christian Thies Jr. and his wife, Nancy Dorelle (Claypool); her brother, Phillip Armin Thies and his wife, Patricia Ann (Carpenter); her sister, Linda Phyllis (Thies) Domanski and her husband, Robert; four cousins, Judith (Brown) Waugh, Jean (Disbrow) D'Agostino and Janette and John Nivala; seven nieces and nephews; and twelve grandnieces and grandnephews.
She was preceded in death by her twin brother, Martin Carl; and her parents.
THIES — Family of Marlene Margaret Thies, who died Wednesday, May 4, 2016, will receive friends from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Smith Funeral Home, 421 New Castle St., Slippery Rock. The funeral service will be at noon Wednesday at the All Saint's Lutheran Church and Student Center in Slippery Rock, officiated by the Rev. Larry K. Loree Jr. Additional visitation will take place after the service at the church, and a reception and luncheon will follow in the church fellowship hall. Subsequently, Marlene will be buried next to her grandparents, parents, and twin brother at the Woodmere Cemetery at 11 a.m. Friday. The Rev. David A. Domanski will officiate the committal service.Memorial contributions may be given to the building fund at Marlene's home church, All Saints Lutheran, 351 S. Main St., Slippery Rock, PA 16057, or to Edison Manor Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center, 222 W. Edison Ave., New Castle, PA 16001, where Marlene resided and was loved and well-cared for over the last 15 years.
