Norma “Jean” Blackburn Marner, 84, Winona Lake, died Nov. 24, 2013, and departed this world to begin her eternal life with God. She lived a selfless and generous life. She was born May 13, 1929, in Kokomo, to Emsley Otis and Mary Gladys Miller Blackburn, their second child. On Oct. 1, 1949, she married her husband of 47 years, William “Ervin” Marner, who died June 5, 1996. She was born just months before the stock market crash of 1929 and the start of the Great Depression. Her brother, Everett, was born two years before and a sister, Betty would follow two years behind. They were a close knit threesome, maintaining a bond and friendship that would last through their lifetimes. She was thrifty, frugal and tremendously talented at sewing, mending, gardening, quilting and making everything run smoothly. She was the heart and hub of her family. As a young girl she helped with farming chores for her uncles as well as working in her father’s gas station. She and her sister would race to clean the windshields of young men who drove in. Her future husband was one of those boys. She and William exchanged letters and pictures when he served in the South Pacific during World War II. Their first child, a son, named Larry was born in 1950. He was followed by three sisters. In 1968 the family moved north to Warsaw. She was a homemaker for most of her life, but worked alongside her husband at Wholesale Electric Company in Warsaw for about ten years. She was kind, quick to forgive and eager to make others happy. She enjoyed music and, though she whistled like a bird, singing wasn’t one of her many gifts. That didn’t keep her from warbling favorite hymns including, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” She attended Winona Lake Grace Brethren Church from 1972 to the present. She was a gentle, genuine and loving soul. She was a wonderful and devoted mother, mother-in-law and grandmother who always gave her best to her family with a smile and an open, loving heart. She will be greatly missed by her family and friends. Surviving are a son, Larry (and spouse Janet); three daughters: Linda (and spouse Harry Caudill), Marcia (and spouse Jerry Faulkner) and Michelle (and spouse David) Phelps; seven grandchildren: Sarah, Noah, Brian, Amanda, Mike, Greg and Kayla; eight great-grandchildren: Emily, Ashley, Hailey, Cooper, Lucas, Gavin, Allee and Declin; and her sister, Betty (and spouse Gene) Snyder, Kokomo. She was preceded in death by her husband; three brothers and a sister-in-law: Everett Blackburn, and his wife Blanche, a dear friend; Richard and Clarence Bowland. Services will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at Redpath-Fruth Funeral Home, 225 Argonne Road, Warsaw, officiated by Pastor Norman Snyder and assisted by the Rev. Tom Miller. A private burial is in Oakwood Cemetery, Warsaw. Calling will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home. ***** Memorials to Winona Lake Grace Brethren Church, 1200 Kings Highway, Winona Lake, IN 46590. Condolences may be sent via www.redpathfruthfuneralhome.com
