Sister Marie Elaine Markel's Obituary
Sister Marie Elaine Markel, passed away peacefully April 10, 2022. She was born September 15, 1935 in Marine City, Michigan to Lawrence and Mary Markel.
Survived by a sister Sylvia Dietlin and in laws; Alice Kaminski, Genova Markel, Leona Markel, Janice Markel and many nieces and nephews and great- nieces and nephews.
Predeceased by Bernard Markel, Charles & Betty Markel, Clair Markel, Kenneth Markel, Lynn Markel, Marvin & Alynne Markel and Marvin Dietlin.
Sister Marie Markel, born in Marine City, Mich., on a dairy farm, is the youngest in the family; she has six brothers and one sister. She grew up working on the dairy farm and attended Holy Cross School from first grade through high school. She was taught by the IHM Sisters.
After graduating from high school, Sister Marie worked at Chris-Craft Corporation, a boat-making company. She felt a strong vocational call, and after four years at the boat company, she joined the IHM congregation. Shortly after she entered the community, her father passed away. She was so grateful the community allowed her to go home and spend time with her family to grieve. Because she was older when she joined the community, she saw some of the rules as antiquated; she was delighted with the changes brought on by Vatican II.
Sister Marie set out on her first mission to St. Catherine in Detroit where she taught primary grades for three years. She then taught for six years at Hall of the Divine Child before going to teach at St. Matthew in Detroit. After two years, she was missioned to St. Gerard Majella in Kirkwood, Mo., then to John Carroll School in Oklahoma City. “I loved teaching and being with the young children,” she says. After a year at John Carroll she transitioned to parish work.
At St. Thomas Aquinas in Detroit, Sister Marie served in pastoral ministry and as liturgy coordinator for 13 years. She served as pastoral associate at St. Regis Parish, Bloomfield Hills, Mich., for two years and then worked in Saginaw, first at Holy Family Parish and then at Holy Spirit Parish as pastoral associate.
She served in Saginaw for 17 years before retiring. “I loved the wider vision of pastoral ministry,” she says.
Currently she is hostess at Reitz-Hertzberg Funeral Home in Saginaw. Sister Marie enjoys writing personal notes to people, going to lunch with her friends and getting together with all of her family, including 46 nieces and nephews. She also enjoys completing a challenging crossword puzzle.
Sister Marie’s greatest joy since joining the community was the gift of traveling to Switzerland she received for her 50th Jubilee. She also had the opportunity to go to the Holy Land. Walking the holy ground where Jesus walked made her feel “closer to the Lord,” she says.
Sister Marie is most grateful for her family of birth for their stability and warmth and to the IHM community, which was always supportive and caring through the years.
The greatest gift in ministry has been that wherever she served, she was accepted and loved. “What a gift! I live with a grateful heart.”
A Celebration of Life Mass will be held at Our Lady on the River Parish, Holy Cross Catholic Church, Marine City, MI at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 23. The family will receive visitors one hour prior to Mass. Memorials may be made to: IHM Sisters 610 W. Elm Ave. Monroe, MI 48162. To leave a message of comfort please visit: www.youngcolonial.com
What’s your fondest memory of Sister Marie?
What’s a lesson you learned from Sister Marie?
Share a story where Sister Marie's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Sister Marie you’ll never forget.
How did Sister Marie make you smile?