Marian Roberta Westrum died Dec. 10, 2007, at Good Samaritan Center in Albert Lea. She was born to Ray F. and Henryetta Porter on a farm near Randolph, on Jan. 25, 1921. The family moved to Albert Lea in 1931 where her father found work at Wilson and Company, eventually advancing to government meat inspector. She graduated salutatorian from Albert Lea High School in 1939. She was very active in the Girls Athletic Association as well as a devotee of skating and skiing. She also sewed costumes for the dramatic productions, and maintained a lifelong interest in needle work of all kinds.

On June 14, 1941, she married Lyle R. Westrum of Albert Lea. In 1952, her husband became a golf professional, and Marian began playing the game. Along the way, she won many prizes at the sport, but the highlight of her golfing career was winning the 1965 women&8217;s club championship at the Westward Ho Country Club in Sioux Falls, S.D., when Lyle was golf professional there.

Even though they lived in many places throughout the Upper Midwest, Marian remained a lifelong member of Calvary Baptist Church in Albert Lea. Active on church committees, she also held numerous offices in the American Baptist Women&8217;s organization.

She worked almost all her life, starting in her teens as an office worker at the old Albert Lea Junior College. She spent many years in the office at Wilson&8217;s and in the early 1960s she was an office manager at Streater. Along the way, she was a legal secretary in New Ulm. She finally retired in her early 70s as an all-purpose employee for Senior Resources.

The couple returned to Albert Lea for semi-retirement in 1983. Never one to sit still, Marian resumed her interest in cross country skiing and skied until well into her 70s. She also began to write in earnest, something she had wanted to do all her life, publishing a number of pieces, especially in the &8220;Minnesota Memories&8221; series. The last 21 years of her life were spent in Senior Tower, where she held numerous elective offices including building president multiple times. Her love of gardening showed in her many years of tender care of the flower beds around the building.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; her sister, Joanne Sorenson; brothers-in-law Bud and Bill Westrum; and sister-in-law Helen Lund.

She is survived by son, Dexter Lyle Westrum (Linda L. Haines); grandson Clayton Lyle Westrum of South Milwaukee, Wis.; step-grandson Mitchell (Lucinda); step-great-grandson Max Briesemeister of Milwaukee; step-granddaughter Alexis Briesemeister of Madison, Wis.; daughter Julie V. King of North Mankato; granddaughter, Harmony Jean (Jon) Dalgleish; great-grandson Perrin James MacFarlane Dalgleish of Logan, Utah; brothers Ray Jr., (Ruth), Forry (Clarice), Keith (Dorothy) and Loren (Elaine) Porter of Albert Lea; and brothers-in-law Clayton (Dee) of Sun City, Ariz., and Paul (Carolyn) Westrum of Albert Lea; and sister-in-law Maxine (Kenneth) Jenkins of Las Vegas, Nev.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday at Calvary Baptist Church in Albert Lea. The family requests memorials in lieu of flowers.