A funeral service for Marilyn Zech, 88, of Spirit Lake will be held at 11:00 AM on Thursday, December 4, 2025, at Grace Lutheran Church in Spirit Lake. Visitation will be from 5:00-7:00 PM on Wednesday, December 3rd, at Turner Jenness Funeral Home in Spirit Lake.
In lieu of flowers, memorials in memory of Marilyn may be sent to Grace Lutheran Church and designated to support Oaxaca Youth Empowerment (formerly Oaxaca Streetchildren Grassroots), the Tanzania well-drilling project, or Igumbilo Girls School in Tanzania.
Marilyn Hazel Zech, the daughter of Johnnie and Hazel (Terry) Peters, was born June 19, 1937, in Pocahontas, Iowa. As a child, Marilyn loved animals, reading, and being outside. She often combined these loves by dressing up her cats in doll clothes and reading to them in the hayloft of the barn. Marilyn graduated from Pocahontas High School in 1955 and attended Buena Vista College for a time. On June 3, 1956, she married Lawrence H. Zech. They lovingly welcomed three children to this union and raised many, many foster children as well.
Marilyn cherished being a wife, mother, and grandmother. She regularly had fresh-baked goodies ready when the kids came home from school. She made delicious lasagna and yummy homemade cinnamon rolls. She and Lawrence traveled to Oaxaca, Mexico, with Señor Cliff one year and happily sponsored a child from the Oaxaca Streetchildren Grassroots. Marilyn’s grandchildren have many fond memories of days spent with Grandma. They include going to Arnolds Park Amusement Park, attending plays at the Boji Bantam Theatre, swimming at the lake, and having lunches at McDonald’s. The grandkids also remember days spent on the farm helping to split and haul firewood and jumping on the trampoline. In the evenings, Grandma and the grandkids made s’mores in the wood-burning stove and would end the day by piling on a bed around Grandma to listen to her read books before they went to sleep. The days always ended with the best hugs.
Marilyn enjoyed gardening and always canned and froze the bounty to enjoy after the growing season ended. In the summer, Marilyn would spend hours mowing the yard at the farm. She was always thankful if one of the kids thought of bringing her a glass of water. In the fall, raking leaves was a family activity. For several years, each spring the family planted 1000+ trees, converting the cornfield to a forested area.
One of Marilyn’s inside hobbies was sewing. One day, she went to the fabric store, bought a pattern and fabric, then made three pairs of PJs for the kids to wear to bed that night. Later on, Marilyn spent summers sewing in the costume shop at the Okoboji Summer Theatre. As a member of Grace Lutheran Church, Marilyn shared her sewing talents by helping to make quilts to donate to Lutheran World Relief during sew and fun days. She also enjoyed delivering meals-on-wheels, often taking grandkids with her, when it was Grace Lutheran’s month to volunteer.
After the kids were raised, Marilyn worked alongside Lawrence in his many endeavors. She was in charge of organization and bookkeeping duties when Lawrence was the general contractor on large construction projects. They also worked side by side in the Zech Hardwood business. The two traveled together many times to Tanzania in the early 2000s through the Western Iowa Synod and their Hatua Kwa Hatua (Step by Step) initiative. Lawrence and Marilyn were the first coordinators for the well-drilling project. One of the first wells where they trained local workers was at the Igumbilo Girls School.
Later in life, Marilyn remained independent. She was proud of the fact that her heating bill was only $20 per month. In her 70s, she split and hauled firewood by herself to stoke the wood-burning stove in the basement all winter.
Marilyn lived her last ten years at Accura Healthcare in Spirit Lake. She continued to read, especially enjoying mysteries. She made lasting friendships with other residents and the staff. She always had a basket of candy available to share with staff and visitors.
Marilyn had an independent and sometimes stubborn personality. She had a dry wit and enjoyed ribbing family and friends until the end. Marilyn passed away quickly after God called and told her it was her time to rest. She was surrounded by loved ones at Lakes Regional Healthcare, where she died on November 25, 2025.
Marilyn is survived by her son, Keith Zech, and wife, Joanne, and their children, Anna, Jon, and Kayla; daughter, Diane Munch, and husband, Gerald; daughter, Missey Brown, and husband, Tharon, and their children, Austen, Torrey (Kim Leaver), and Abbey; great-grandchildren, Bryson Miller and Connor Miller; and many foster children and their families.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Lawrence Zech; parents, Johnnie and Hazel (Terry) Peters; step-parents, Fred and Edith DeWall; and sister, Patricia Weatherwax.
Arrangements are under the care of Turner Jenness Funeral Home.
