Marlene Sandru

Marlene Maye Sandru, loving wife, mother, and grandmother, of Lincoln, Montana, passed away April 7, 2017. She was born on May 9, 1939 in Helena, Montana, and graduated from Helena High School in 1957. Marlene had happy memories of working as a carhop at the RB Drive In and as a movie usher at the Marlow Theater while in school.

Marlene married her high school sweetheart Alex Sandru on September 7, 1957 at St. John’s Lutheran Church. They resided on his family ranch in Canyon Creek, Montana, where Marlene was an important part of the ranch operations. She enjoyed raising chickens, gardening, and cooking for the family and the ranch crew. There was always room for unexpected guests at her table accompanied by gales of laughter. Marlene excelled at baking bread, rolls, pies, cakes, and cookies. Family was her world and she kept busy raising their three children, Rick, Steve, and Lori. She enjoyed spending time with them, and all of their friends who felt like the Sandru Ranch was a second home. Marlene was a 4-H leader for Canyon Creek Stock 4-H Club for many years.

In 1990, Alex and Marlene embarked on a new ranching adventure with Rick and his wife Jody and their family in Twin Bridges, Montana. Living in the same ranch yard allowed Marlene and Alex to be very involved in the lives of their grandchildren. Granny’s kitchen was always open and never empty. Marlene had a gift for making even the simple things special like drawing fences on buttered bread, sewing homemade Halloween costumes, and giving her grandkids a special bell to ring when they were home sick from school. Her grandchildren treasured helping her bake homemade breads and her prized butter cookies. She enjoyed watching songbirds and had many cherished family pets. Marlene loved all God’s creatures–except snakes. Her grandsons learned, after only one prank, never to tease Granny with a snake!

Alex and Marlene retired to the family cabin in Lincoln in 2000. There, she spent time helping Alex remodel the cabin, and enjoyed living close to her son Steve, daughter Lori, and their families. She loved gardening, and enjoyed the peaceful surroundings. There were many fun family get togethers at the cabin which included volleyball, horseshoes, croquet, skipping rocks, and fishing on the Blackfoot River. In the winters, Marlene would joke that she was going south, and for ten years, she and Alex returned to the ranch in Twin Bridges for calving season. Her cooking was one of the main reasons the ranch was able to keep help. Through the years, Marlene and Alex logged many miles as they never missed their grandkids birthday parties, sporting events, music recitals, and graduations.

Marlene was preceded in death by her parents, Roy and Margaret Bryson, and her brother Mike Foley. She is survived by her husband of 59 years, Alex of Lincoln; sons Rick (Jody) of Twin Bridges and Steve (Tammy Pipinich) of Lincoln; daughter Lori (Joel Oelfke) of Helena; eight grandchildren, Alexis Sandru (Luke Berger), Ty Sandru (Kayla), Joe Sandru, Kjersten Sandru, Shandell VanDonsel, Hunter VanDonsel, Cody Clark (Brenna), and Kori Keller (Jared); and three great grandchildren, Ambrose and Alex Berger and McKenna Sandru.

Marlene’s strong spirit, laughter, zest for life, and unconditional love will be missed and long remembered. Thank you, Granny, for teaching us that family is everything and if you have the will you can accomplish anything.

Services will be held at Our Redeemers Lutheran Church, 3580 North Benton, Helena, Montana, on April 17, 2017, at 1:00 pm.

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