Marietta Toelle

Marietta Toelle, age 98, of New Carlisle, Indiana died on September 14, 2023, surrounded by her family at Maple Ridge Manor in Manistee, Michigan.

She was born on December 7, 1924, the daughter of Clark and Ruth Rodgers.  Over the years she shared many stories about growing up on a farm with her parents and her older sister Ruth.  Throughout her entire life she remained close with one of her first childhood friends, Sadie Melady.  After high school Marietta took a train to California with a friend and her adventurous spirit decided to stay out west.  This is where she developed a special friendship with Lucy and fell further in love with her soulmate, Robert “Bob” Toelle.  On December 7, 1946, she married the love of her life in a small ceremony in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Bob was a member of the United States Marine Corp, so they purchased a home and started to build a life in California.

They had two children Lowell Rex and Linda Sue.  Soon after Linda was born they moved back to Indiana to be closer to family.  Marietta devoted her time to raising her children and spending time with her family.  She was a longtime member of the Olive Chapel Church where she devoted countless hours to her faith and her friendships.  Over the course of her lifetime she experienced many hardships.  She lost her daughter Linda, her sister Ruth, her soulmate Bob, her parents, her granddaughter Jessica, her great-granddaughter Addison and numerous other family members and close friends.  The hardships she endured didn’t harden her spirit.

Marietta was an amazing human being who will be thoroughly missed by all those who knew and loved her.  She enjoyed baking, doing kind things for others and traveling the world with her dear friend Lucy.  Their adventures took them to many places and she was especially thankful for all that she was able to see and do.  Marietta was stunningly beautiful inside and out.  Everything about her was good.  Her faith was undeniable, her conversations were never hurried, her laugh was contagious and she always managed to find the bright side of life.  She had an ability to make a bad day better and a natural ability to calm your soul. 

For a number of years she was lucky to stay in her home with the wonderful support of her caretaker, Mallory Bryant.  In recent years her health began to decline, but her mind was sharp.  Eventually, Marietta decided to move to an assisted care facility in Manistee, Michigan.  This move brought her closer to family.  Although it was hard to leave the comforts of home, this move enabled all of her family members to spend more time with her.  Marietta quickly became a well liked member of her new community and she received excellent care during her time at Maple Ridge. 

She thoroughly enjoyed her visits with her son Rex.  She often talked about what a blessing it was to be able to see him so often.  They reminisced about life, shared snacks and occasionally wine or champagne, watched Notre Dame football and we are all convinced they also napped at times!  She was so thankful for this time with him and her daughter-in-law Jenny.  She was also thankful for her weekly visits and shared treats with the Makowski family.

Her spirit was most alive when she was surrounded by family.  She absolutely loved spending time with her son and daughter-in-law, her grandchildren and her great-grandchildren.  She especially got a kick out of watching all of the littlest kids.  Jacob, Max, Jack, Logan, Mallory, Sawyer, Makenzie and Eli were lucky to have experienced her love and baked goods for so many years.  We all were.   

Marietta is survived by her son Lowell Rex (Jennifer) Toelle; her nephew Larry Wilcox (Nancy Herderson); granddaughters Shana (Andrew) Ambrose, Lindsay Toelle, Lacey (Zack) Makowski and Kaylie (Nathan) Griswold; great-grandchildren Jacob & Max Scharp, Jack & Logan Ambrose, Mallory & Sawyer Kieszkowski and Makenzie & Eli Makowski.

Marietta was preceded in death by her parents Clark & Ruth Rodgers, sister Ruth Wilcox, soulmate Bob Toelle, daughter Linda Sue, granddaughter Jessica Scharp and great-granddaughter Addison Ambrose.

Oak Grove Funeral Home in Manistee assisted in handling the arrangements.  The funeral will take place on Saturday, September 23, 2023, at 1 p.m. at Kaniewski Funeral Home in New Carlisle, Indiana.  The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Saturday from 12 p.m. until the time of the service. Following the service, a private burial will take place with the family at Hamilton Church Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Stomp Out Cancer Fund, P.O. Box 783, Manistee, MI  49660 or to Hospice of Michigan.

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