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Obituary for Juanita "Bunny" P. Marotta
Marotta, Juanita P. “Bunny” age 96 recently of St. Croix Falls, WI, “slipped the surly bonds of earth” on Feb. 12, 2014. She was formerly a resident of Green Valley, AZ, Taylors Falls, MN, Tucson, AZ and St. Louis Park, MN. Born in Trade Lake, WI, on Sept. 28, 1917, she was preceded in death by husband, Ernest A. Marotta; parents, August and Xenia Dahlberg and brother, David Dahlberg. Survived by children, Victor (Sandy Obermiller), Fred, and Mary (Dale Rask); sisters, Anne (Ralph) Hatch, Jean Sampson, Beulah Lindberg and Grace (Fred) Kalantari, grandchildren Julie Knirk, Jason Marotta, and Anthony Marotta, nieces, nephews and her many dear friends and relatives. She received a B.A. from Gustavus Adolphus College in 1940 and taught high school in Gary, MN and Calamus, IA before joining the Women’s Army Corps during World War II. She served as a Tech. Sergeant in Military Intelligence in the Pentagon. She met her husband Ernie on leave in New Orleans and they married in 1945. She spent her first five years of married life in her husband’s hometown of Malden, MA, then moved to Minnesota in 1951. After her children were in school, she earned a Master of Science Degree in Botany at the U of MN in 1966 by doing research on bogs at Cedar Creek Natural History Area. She worked in the Mpls. Public Library from 1968-1972, preparing exhibits for the Mpls. Science Museum including the Egyptian Mummy display and the cutout skyline for the planetarium. She was the first president of the St. Louis Park League of Women Voters and served on the state board as Water Conservation Chairman. She was also a nationally accredited flower show judge serving as judge at many flower shows including the MN State Fair. As Horticulture Chairperson for the Federated Garden Clubs of Minnesota she compiled and edited the club’s “Horticulture Handbook”. She and Ernie retired to Tucson, AZ in 1976 where they enjoyed desert life and travel to Alaska, Hawaii and Las Vegas. After Ernie’s death in 1987 she moved to Taylors Falls. Ten years later she moved again, this time to Villas West in Green Valley, AZ where she got hooked on gourd painting. She and her daughter Mary had great fun selling their gourds at a booth at the Wuertz Gourd Festival for 9 years. She was a past member of the Minne-Wisc Palette Club, the Old Pueblo Artisans of Tucson, the Tucson Miniature Club, the Doll and Toy Club of the St. Croix Valley and the Green Valley Patch of the Arizona Gourd Society. She published several books including “Minnesota Wild Flowers of Forest, Field And Wetland”, “Swedish Pioneer: the Life and Times of A. O. Dahlberg”, “Brunet Falls on the Chippewa”, “Wildflowers of the St. Croix Valley” and with her daughter “Easy Guide to Decorating Gourds”. Her many hobbies included wildflower painting, gardening, hooking rugs, gourd art, writing historical stories for the Dalles Visitor of Taylors Falls and delving into the history of her Swedish, Chippewa and French ancestors.
A Celebration of Life Open House will be held Sunday, March 2 from 1-4pm at the Taylors Falls Memorial Community Center. Refreshments will be served.
The caring help provided by the nurses and home health aides of Fairview Lakes Hospice is greatly appreciated. If you wish, donations may be made in Bunny’s name to The Minnesota Chapter of the Nature Conservancy, Gustavus Adolphus College or The Wisconsin Historical Society.
Online condolences may be left at www.rowefh.com or www.wicremationcenter.com . The Northwest Wisconsin Cremation Center in Milltown, WI has been entrusted with arrangements, 715-825-5550 or 715-472-2444.
