Marian Temple

Marian Temple, a beloved wife and mother, role model to her grandchildren and voracious reader whose fascination with the world never dimmed, passed away early Wednesday morning. She was 83. Marian was, at various times, a homemaker, crossing guard, receptionist, veterinarian’s assistant and librarian. She grew up and raised her own children in Detroit. Once empty nesters, she and her husband, Jim Temple, moved to Indianapolis for several decades, before settling in St. Joseph. In recent years, she remained active in a local book group and the Economic Club of Southwestern Michigan. She was a lifelong lover of the written word, digesting the newspaper daily, puzzling out crosswords and making quick work of thick tomes. She enthusiastically shared the captivating facts, theories, personalities and ideas she discovered in books and eagerly lent them out – whether they were solicited or not. Marian firmly embraced the “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” philosophy, instilling it in her children and grandchildren and exemplifying it her own life. She grew up during the Great Depression and never had the opportunity to attend college, but nonetheless managed to raise two sons who earned advanced degrees. She could also trounce most graduate students in a trivia game of history, geography or just about any other topic that wasn’t the subject of their thesis. Personal initiative was her tuition, and books were her seminars. She never stopped attending and was still making reading recommendations to relatives as recently as a month ago, after the cancer that would quickly take her life had been diagnosed. Marian is survived by her husband Jim; son Kenn; daughter-in-laws Ann and Kathy; grandchildren Doug, James, Jeff and Sarah; and great grandson, Cameron Michael. Her first son, Bruce, preceded her in death by four months. A memorial service will be held on Sunday, June 14, 2009, from 12:00 Noon until 2:00 P.M., at Campus Village at Michigan State University, 1151 Michigan Ave., East Lansing, MI, 48823. Those wishing to share a memory or sign the guest book online may do so at www.starks-menchinger. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to Hospice at Home or Berrien County Cancer Service.