Obituary for Wilma Eileen Jessen (Marienau) Wilma E. Jessen, 96, of Le Mars, Iowa, formerly of Merrill, Iowa, passed on to the next life on Sunday, November 4, 2018 at the Brentwood Good Samaritan Village in Le Mars. Funeral services will take place at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, November 9, 2018 at the Mauer – Johnson Funeral Home in Le Mars. Pastor Chris Meier of St. John's Lutheran Church in Le Mars will officiate. Burial will follow at Hillside Cemetery in Merrill, Iowa. Visitation will begin at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 8, 2018 at the Mauer – Johnson Funeral Home. The family will be present from 5-7 p.m. with a prayer service at 7:00 p.m. Visitation will resume at 9:00 a.m. on Friday at the funeral home. The Mauer – Johnson Funeral Home in Le Mars is assisting Wilma's family with funeral arrangements.

Wilma Eileen Marienau was born September 14, 1922 in Merrill, Iowa to John Gerhard Edward and Caroline (Mattas) Marienau. She grew up in many rural areas of Plymouth and Sioux counties. She attended Merrill High School and graduated from Le Mars Central High School in 1940. Wilma attended Western Union College to obtain her normal teaching certificate and taught country school.

Wilma married Merton "Stub" Jessen on August 2, 1945 at Grant Township Lutheran Church. She and Stub lived most of their adult lives in Merrill, Iowa, where Wilma was active in St. John's Lutheran Church, Community Club, and American Legion Auxiliary. She loved all her families, and enjoyed being a homemaker, mother, sister, and friend to all. A special thanks to LeeAnn Lang for her wonderful dedication to Wilma over the last years.

She is survived by her children, Barry (Barbara) Jessen of Salt Lake City, UT, Victoria (Robert) Brown of San Felipe, Mexico and LeeAnn Lang of Le Mars, IA; grandchildren, Jennifer (Lang) Vaske, Troy Lang, Elisabeth (Brown) Plueger, Gregg Brown, Brayden Jessen, Brinlee (Jessen) Hale, and Kale Jessen; 16 great-grandchildren; sisters, Marian Baker of LeMars, IA, Norma Vanderloo of Waterloo, IA and Waneta Tevis of Seattle, WA; a sister-in-law, Margaret Marienau of Merrill, IA; and a brother-in-law, Richard Stroup of Apache Junction, AZ.

Wilma was preceded in death by her parents, Ed and Carrie Marienau; husband, Merton; her husband's parents, Elmer and Louise (Klenk) Jessen; brothers, Melvin (Elsie), Edward (Shirley) and Frank Marienau; her sisters, Dorothy Marienau and Carol (Marienau) Stroup; and brothers-in-law, Donald Jessen and Gaylen Tevis.

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