Obit: Durst, Marie Virginia (1918 - 2015)

Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

Surnames: Durst, Farnum, Chakrabartti

----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 9/09/2015

Durst, Marie Virginia (22 November 1918 - 1 September 2015)

She first poked her tiny newborn face into this life on the sunny morning of Nov. 22, 1918, in her grandmother’s house in Blackwell, OK. She was the second of three daughters of Charles and Margaret Farnum. Marie Virginia Farnum was raised over the border in South Eastern Kansas, where Charlie worked as an oil wildcatter and Margaret kept the home fires burning. After graduating from high school in Eureka, Marie studied nursing at Baylor University. When WWII broke out and soon preoccupied the country, she joined the Army Air Corps as a registered nurse and served as a lieutenant and surgical nurse until just before the war’s end, stationed in Fort Worth, TX.

It was there, on Oct. 31, 1944, she met the handsome pilot instructor, Wisconsin born and raised Lieutenant LaVern Durst, who was visiting one of her patients. She agreed to join him that evening at the Halloween party in the Officers’ Mess. Wasting little time in the tenuous atmosphere of wartime, they fell in love and were married by the base chaplain just nine weeks later, Jan. 7, 1945. Marie would accompany LaVern throughout his corporate career with Kraft Foods, beginning postwar in west Central Indiana (1946 to 1950), followed by stints in Illinois (1950 to 1960), then California (1960 to 1970 and back to Illinois until they retired to Palmdale in the high desert of Antelope Valley, Southern California in 1987. Along the way, they parented two children, James in November of 1945 and Judith in June of 1948. As LaVern’s job would evolve to take him away from home and around the world, it was Marie, the devoted mother, who faithfully attended James’ Little League and high school basketball games and both kids’ choir concerts.

Jan. 7, 1995, their children surprised the couple with a 50th anniversary celebration that featured a 16-piece orchestra and a renewal of vows attended by numerous family members and friends from around the country, including several who had attended the original ceremony. Marie and LaVern remained virtually inseparable until Nov. 8, 2000, when LaVern passed away from complications of prostate cancer.

To those who attended Palmdale’s First Lutheran Church, Marie’s was the first friendly face to greet them each Sunday morning. Marie and Judith moved to Neillsville in 2009 to be close to LaVern’s roots and his resting place.

Marie graduated peacefully from this life at Neillsville Care and Rehab at 12:35 p.m. Sept. 1, 2015, at the age of 96 and 3/4 years..

She is survived by Judith; James and his wife, Madhumita Chakrabartti; as well as two affectionate “granddogters,” Holly and Ivy.

On accordance with her wishes, Marie was cremated, and the ashes were interred alongside those of the love of her life, LaVern, in the family plot in the country cemetery in Pine Valley, outside of Neillsville.

Marie touched so many lived during her earthly experience. She was deeply loved by all who knew her and will be greatly missed.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests the donations be made in the name of Marie Virginia Farnum Durst to Clark County Humane Society in Neillsville.

Condolences may be made at www.geschefh.com.  The Gesche Funeral Home assisted Marie’s family with funeral arrangements.