Obituary of Marilyn Norquist
Marilyn (Larson) Norquist, age 88, passed away peacefully in her sleep early August 1, 2019 in
White Bear Lake after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
She was preceded in death by daughter Kathy (Norquist) Cowen, and sister Joyce (Larson) Daugs.
She is survived by her loving husband Dr. Joe Norquist, her children Steve Norquist (Michael Black), Judy Gardner (Mike), Rev. Doug Norquist (Shirley), and son-in-law Dennis Cowen. She had six grandchildren,Mark Cowen (Veronica), Elizabeth Engeldinger (Tim), Grete Norquist (Peter Cornwell), Karin Larsen (Keith), Dan Gardner, and Jennifer Hastings (Tyler), and nine great-grandchildren.
She was born in St. Paul, attended Johnson Senior High school (1949), and received a RN
degree from Gustavus Adolphus College/Bethesda School of Nursing. After marriage she lived
in Washington DC, Fairbanks AK, Thief River Falls MN, London UK, Tanzania (East Africa),
Maplewood MN, and White Bear Lake. She and her husband Joe were medical missionaries in
Tanzania, and a passion for service and travel stayed with her all her life. She volunteered as a
nurse for many years at St. John’s Hospital, and was very involved in church activities, most
notably decades in the choir, and many years organizing the senior travel club’s many trips to
foreign countries. In her youth she had been a talented pianist and this love of music was
passed on to her children and grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at Gustavus Adolphus Lutheran Church (1669 Arcade Street, St.
Paul, MN 55106) on Friday, August 8th, at 11:00 AM (Visitation at 10 AM). Private interment
following. Visitation Thursday evening at the church from 5:00-7:00.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the Gustavus Adolphus Lutheran Church music
program.