Marge EngebretsonMarge Engebretson taught at Cass Lake High School for many years. She taught German and Journalism, directed Drama and Speech, and advised the Pine Murmurs newspaper. She was recognized in 1984 as Minnesota Teacher of the Year. She retired from teaching in 1995.
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Marge Engebretson Remembered for Lifetime of Giving
The Cass Lake community paused Tuesday to remember the passing of one of its most beloved and well known residents, as funeral services were held for Marge Engebretson, who died Saturday at her Pike Bay Township home after a two-year battle with stomach cancer. She will be remembered as one who came to America as a child with her family from Germany, had to learn English and eventually becomes a teacher of both English and German in her new country. She was also responsible for broadening the world for Cass Lake students by taking dozens to Germany during her career. She was the 1984 Teacher of the Year, selected Germany Teacher of Minnesota and a Bemidji State University Outstanding Alumni. Her husband, Larry Engebretson noted that her annual German Dinners -- originally started to help students pay for their trip to Germany and more recently as a fund raiser for community projects -- served an estimated 30,000 dinners over the years. “If nothing else,” he recalled, “she laughed about feeding 30,000 people a German meal as her epitaph.” The Engebretsons had two sons, Mark and Patrick. They retired from their positions at Cass Lake-Bena Elementary School in 1995. Her friend and co-worker in community fund raising projects, Louis Smith of the Cass Lake Family Center, called her “one remarkable lady.” “She was always giving. Not because she felt compelled to but because she wanted to. She was a real advocate of people in need here in the Cass Lake community. Her efforts spear-headed Rachel’s Corner and the Fall Turkey Dinner as our major fundraisers for the Food Shelf.” Father Paul Larson came to Cass Lake 16 years ago to serve St. Charles Parish. It was his first assignment. He said the Engebretsons befriended him from the beginning and made him feel welcome. Once, he recalled, in a Sunday message he admonished the parish to be more energetic in their church work. “Marge came to me after the service and said ‘yes, I will do what it takes...’ She always took things like that to heart. She was just generous by nature. She showed us how we all should live.” Recalled her husband, “She was always so full of life and so positive, even in her final days of life. Down to just 80 pounds in weight and in a wheel chair, Marge was demonstrating to her children how to make German roll-up pastries just last week.” Her funeral, held Tuesday, was a ceremony of joy, said Smith.
Cass Lake Times NOTE: They did not retire from the Elementary School, rather the High School.
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Obituary
Margaret Anne Engebretson, 62, of Cass lake and a former Minnesota Teacher of the year, died Saturday, June 26, 1999, at her home after a two-year struggle with cancer. Funeral services will be 11 a.m. Tuesday at St. Charles Catholic Church in Cass Lake, with the Rev. Timothy Deutsch officiating. Visitation will be 5:30 p.m. Monday at the church with a prayer service at 7:30 p.m. Arrangements are with Carlin-Hoialmen Funeral Home of Fosston. She was born June 12, 1937, at Duelmen, Germany, to Heinrich and Maria (Tork) Brambrink. She and her family survived World War II. Her father married Clara, after Maria died. They immigrated to Blackduck in June 1952. In Blackduck she learned English and received her high school diploma. In 1960, she graduated from Bemidji State University with degrees in English and German. After her marriage to Larry Engebretson in August 1960, they began their teaching careers in Cass Lake. She taught German and English, directed drama and speech and advised the school newspaper, The Pine Murmurs. In 1973, she and her Level III German classes began their spring tours to Germany. She and a supportive fund-raising community were able to offer the tours to all students who met their academic requirements. She retired in 1995 from the Cass Lake-Bena schools. During her teaching career, she was recognized widely for her dedication and love of teaching. In 1984, she was selected as Minnesota Teacher of the Year, and later as AATG German Teacher of Minnesota. BSU also honored her as Outstanding Alumni of the Year and placed her picture in the Educators Hall of Fame. She was also active in the League of Women Voters, Delta Kappa Gamma, bridge clubs, Lions and Lioness clubs and worked with the Food Shelf and Clothing Corner. She also enjoyed gardening and cooking. Survivors include her husband; two sons, Mark of Plymouth, Minn., and Patrick of Dell Rapids, S.D.; two brothers, Hugo (Therese) and Paul (Martha), both of Blackduck; brother-in-law, Irving (Kay) of Chippewa Falls, Wis.; many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents and stepmother and an infant brother, Paul. In lieu of flowers, friends |
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On the 26th of June, 1999, Margret Engebretson died of a long, difficult illness she endured with patience and inner strength. On the six week anniversary of her death, it is an honor and an obligation for us - her relatives and friends in Germany - to remember this exceptional person. Who she was, how she was, and what she meant to her friends and colleagues could not have been put into words better than Larry Engebretson, her husband, expressed it at her funeral service. After her emigration from Germany in June, 1952, with her father, step-mother, and brother, it was she who maintained contact with her relative through letters, photos, and Christmas presents. With her yearly visits since 1973, she was more than just the “Aunt from America” to her more than 150 German relatives. She knew all the nieces, nephews, cousins and the many relatives of the third generation by name. The children looked forward to seeing her more than anyone. Her visits were a welcome major event for the whole family. She made sure that all branches of the family came together once a year, and in doing so, she held the large family together. She lived and advanced the heritage, the tradition, and the understanding of two great cultures. She brought the young people of two cultural circles together. She accomplished such valuable service to the cause of peace and harmony. She was influenced in her childhood by the experiences of war, nights of bombings, and poverty, but also by virtues such as hard work, modesty, responsibility, and reliability. The secret of her charm and love of people was perhaps found in her deliberate recognition of fellow human beings as a part of creation, influenced by her deep and multifaceted life experience. We have lost a precious, dear fellow human being and relative. We will miss Margret Brambrink-Engebretson. We will always honor her memory. And, with joy, we will preserve and deepen the ties to our American relative, Larry Engebretson and family, and Hugo and Paul Brambrink and their families.
The Brambrink family of Dulmen-Bornste, Westphalia |
