Marilyn Jean Michel
November 29, 1935 — May 15, 2024
Ankeny, Iowa
Marilyn Jean Michel
Marilyn Jean Michel, age 88, passed away peacefully on May 15 at her home in Ankeny, Iowa.
Marilyn Jean (Haugen) Michel was born to Henry and Florence Lillian (Anderson) Haugen at the Swedish Hospital in Minneapolis, MN on November 29, 1935. She was an only child and attended public schools. In high school she graduated from Minnehaha Academy in 1953. She also graduated from Northwestern College in 1957 with a major in music. She met her husband of 67 years at a youth rally on Labor Day 1954 where she played her marimba and piano on a music team called the Triumphant Trio. She married John Michel, the love of her life, on August 11, 1956. Their only son Daniel was born in Austin, MN in August of 1957 and in November of 1957 they moved to Mankato, MN to organize the Grace Baptist Church. In 1961 they started a gospel telecast called “I Believe in Miracles” on KEYC-TV which continued for 54 years. The CBS station reached south central Minnesota and north central Iowa. She used her musical talent and training at the church and on the TV ministry.
She took her faith in God and his only begotten Son seriously. She spent 62 years living in one block on the north side of Mankato until moving to Ankeny, IA in 2019 to be near her family.
Marilyn loved being a homemaker, teaching private lessons on piano, organ and marimba, being music coordinator for the ministry, studying Norwegian at MSU, shopping, drinking coffee, loving cats, traveling with her husband on mission trips to Europe, Israel and South America, attending Swedish Club and being with her son and his wife, grand kids and great grandchildren.
In recent years she enjoyed spending winter months at the Bibleville Conference Grounds in Alamo, TX where she and her husband were involved in the music ministry. It was there that Marilyn played her marimba for the last time in March of 2023.
Her healthy life was interrupted by rheumatoid arthritis (1997) and dementia (2011). She gladly participated in support groups for Alzheimer disease in Mankato MN, McAllen TX and Ankeny, IA. Last October she was confined to a hospital bed in their home. She was cared for by her husband with the support of family and Hospice of the Midwest.
She is survived by her husband, John, her son Daniel (Terri) Michel and 4 grandchildren Keri Michel, Kami Brandt, Nicole (Nathan) Beaird, Matthew (Lisa) Michel and 9 great grandchildren: Lucas, Gracyn, Piper, Jet, Cali, Kort, Miley, Nova and Krew. An open to the public burial will be at the Minneopa Cemetery at 10:30 AM and a memorial service at 2 PM at Grace Baptist Church, 600 Lind Street in Mankato on Wednesday May 29 (live-streamed on YouTube @gbcmankato). Visitation will start at 1 PM.
The family prefers memorials to Grace Baptist Church, Grace Christian School or The Gideons International.
Marilyn Jean (Haugen) Michel was born to Henry and Florence Lillian (Anderson) Haugen at the Swedish Hospital in Minneapolis, MN on November 29, 1935. She was an only child and attended public schools. In high school she graduated from Minnehaha Academy in 1953. She also graduated from Northwestern College in 1957 with a major in music. She met her husband of 67 years at a youth rally on Labor Day 1954 where she played her marimba and piano on a music team called the Triumphant Trio. She married John Michel, the love of her life, on August 11, 1956. Their only son Daniel was born in Austin, MN in August of 1957 and in November of 1957 they moved to Mankato, MN to organize the Grace Baptist Church. In 1961 they started a gospel telecast called “I Believe in Miracles” on KEYC-TV which continued for 54 years. The CBS station reached south central Minnesota and north central Iowa. She used her musical talent and training at the church and on the TV ministry.
She took her faith in God and his only begotten Son seriously. She spent 62 years living in one block on the north side of Mankato until moving to Ankeny, IA in 2019 to be near her family.
Marilyn loved being a homemaker, teaching private lessons on piano, organ and marimba, being music coordinator for the ministry, studying Norwegian at MSU, shopping, drinking coffee, loving cats, traveling with her husband on mission trips to Europe, Israel and South America, attending Swedish Club and being with her son and his wife, grand kids and great grandchildren.
In recent years she enjoyed spending winter months at the Bibleville Conference Grounds in Alamo, TX where she and her husband were involved in the music ministry. It was there that Marilyn played her marimba for the last time in March of 2023.
Her healthy life was interrupted by rheumatoid arthritis (1997) and dementia (2011). She gladly participated in support groups for Alzheimer disease in Mankato MN, McAllen TX and Ankeny, IA. Last October she was confined to a hospital bed in their home. She was cared for by her husband with the support of family and Hospice of the Midwest.
She is survived by her husband, John, her son Daniel (Terri) Michel and 4 grandchildren Keri Michel, Kami Brandt, Nicole (Nathan) Beaird, Matthew (Lisa) Michel and 9 great grandchildren: Lucas, Gracyn, Piper, Jet, Cali, Kort, Miley, Nova and Krew. An open to the public burial will be at the Minneopa Cemetery at 10:30 AM and a memorial service at 2 PM at Grace Baptist Church, 600 Lind Street in Mankato on Wednesday May 29 (live-streamed on YouTube @gbcmankato). Visitation will start at 1 PM.
The family prefers memorials to Grace Baptist Church, Grace Christian School or The Gideons International.
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