Marian Maxine Oftedahl (Maley) age 85 passed away peacefully Wednesday, November 5, 2025, at her home in Anoka, Minnesota, with her loving family by her side.

Marian was born in Enderlin, ND on March 24, 1940, to Olaf Maley and Minnie Nelson, of full Norwegian descent. She was the youngest of four children. While attending school in Enderlin she was active in 4-H, played flute in the band, worked at her grandparents Fred and Sena Maley's home, and her Uncle Hokan's farm. After graduating high school in 1958 she entered a pageant, becoming "The Queen of Ransom County."

Marian went on to college at Morehead State in Minnesota, she studied education, active in band and sorority, and she met her beloved husband, Alfred Jimmy "Jim" Oftedahl. Both of them enjoyed playing tennis and after seeing Marian play, Jim asked her if he could buy her a lemonade.

Jim and Marian were married April 9, 1960 at First Lutheran Church of Enderlin. They settled in Anoka where they raised their three daughters Kiz, Kim, and Jill.

While Jim was a teacher at Coon Rapids Senior HS, Marian, was a very capable homemaker and an exceptionally loving mother, a part-time substitute teacher and worked at the local bank when her children were young. They found time to take many fun family vacations. She then went back to college to finish her teaching degree, as well as a Master's Degree from The University of Minnesota, and became a kindergarten teacher extraordinaire, until retiring in 1998 from Hoover elementary in Coon Rapids, Minnesota.

After retirement, both Marian and Jim continued their adventures with family and many friends, including their Carefree Country Club community in Big Lake, MN, and their second home in Sun City, AZ. They were married for 59 years and loved being together, going to movies, shows, playing bridge, tennis, golf, cruises, and traveling all over the world reaching every continent. They rode camels in Egypt, walked along the Great Wall of China, climbed Machu Picchu Peru, saw penguins in Antarctica, viewed the Kremlin in Moscow, petted kangaroos in Australia, toured Europe, biked along the Pacific Coastline, among their many adventures.

Marian will be remembered as having a beautiful smile, being kind and gentle, a fun loving person, intelligent, energetic, creative, liked to travel, read, and very capable in every way, from playing the piano, gardening, her athletic skill, making her children's clothes, even doll dresses, being a caring wife, mother, grandmother, and friend, praising the Lord, and singing in choir at Zion Lutheran Church.

Surviving Marian are her daughters Kiz (Jeff) Taylor, Kim Oftedahl (Jim Christophe), Jill (Ron) Smothers, grandchildren Amelia (Mike) Goette, Zack Taylor, Jimmy Christophe, Tyler (Allisyn) Smothers, Jake (Amber) Smothers, great grandchildren Lauren, Calvin, Vivian, sister Marlene Noack, brother James Maley.

Preceded in death by her parents Olaf and Minnie, beloved husband Jim, brother William Maley.

Memorial visitation will be Thursday November 20, 2025 from 10:00 am -1:00 pm at Thurston-DeShaw Funeral Home, 13817 Jay St. NW, Andover. Interment will be alongside Jim at Fort Snelling National Cemetery.