Alice Nadine Marsnik

To watch a live stream of Nadine's Funeral Mass please click here .

Alice Nadine Chamberlain Marsnik, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, teacher, and friend,  died at home November, 30, 2021. In her last weeks, she expressed that her greatest wish was to spend the end of her life surrounded by her beloved children, grandchildren, friends, and family.

Nadine was born September 5, 1931, the third of five children born to Ellard (Pike) and Alice (nee Johnson) Chamberlain in Clontarf, Minnesota. Nadine was an exceptional student who devoted her life to education. She graduated from Benson High School as co-salutatorian with her lifelong best friend, with whom she attended the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul. She was the first in her family to earn a college degree, graduating with honors and Phi Beta Kappa . She earned her Masters of Education from the University of Minnesota Duluth in 1974 and in 1985 completed all of her coursework for a PhD from the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota.

She began her teaching career in 1953 at Foley High School where she met the love of her life, George Marsnik, the new math teacher. They were married August 14, 1954 at St. Malachy’s Church in Clontarf, Minnesota. They  lived in St. Cloud, MN and Lawrence, KS before moving to Ely in 1961 with a young family of four. By 1967, their family of six children was complete. Nadine was a beloved member of the local community. She was active in St. Anthony Catholic Church, the AAUW, and local theater productions. She became a driving force in Ely’s American Cancer Society. As a cancer survivor, she devoted herself to helping others. She was the first non-medical person to teach in the local branch of the American Cancer Society’s I Can Cope Group and for years chaired the local Relay for Life with George. Their competing teams (Nadine’s Night Crawlers and George’s Bouja Bunch) raised thousands of dollars for the American Cancer Society.

In the 1960s, Nadine was invited to teach as an adjunct at what was then Ely Junior College and eventually became a fulltime member of the teaching faculty at Vermillion Community College where she taught writing, literature, communication, and listening. She loved her career and became an important teacher and mentor to generations of students. In addition, she was a founding member of the International Listening Association (ILA), becoming a pioneer in this new field of communication. She won many ILA awards, including the Special Recognition Award and the ILA Hall of Fame. The book she co-authored; Perceptive Listening (published in two editions) remains a seminal work in the field.

In 2001, Nadine and George moved to Crystal, MN to be closer to medical care, children, and grandchildren. In the Twin Cities, Nadine became an active member of the Church of St. Margaret Mary in Golden Valley serving in various capacities including the Council for Mission and Ministry, on the Adult Faith Formation Committee, the Funeral Committee, and as a Lector and Eucharistic Minister.  She volunteered the North Memorial Home Hospice as a leader for the grief support group and as a care provider for families. At Parkside Acres, her townhome association, she served on the social committee and helped found the neighborhood book club.  She loved travelling, both domestically and internationally, and treasured her adventures with her children and grandchildren.

She is survived by four daughters, Anne, Susan, Catherine (David Reid), and Sara Erickson; two sons, Peter (Patty Becker Marsnik) and Adam Kauwenberg-Marsnik (Rudolf “Ruud” Kauwenberg-Marsnik); eight beloved grandchildren, Sam Mauser, Elizabeth Kramer and husband, Quinn, Jacob and Becca Marsnik, Rachel Thunde and husband, Sam, Emily, Madeline and Isabel Erickson; family and friends.

Preceded in death by her beloved husband, George Marsnik; parents, Alice and Ellard Chamberlain Sr.; siblings, Bea Leis, Ellard Chamberlain, Jr., Marlene “Molly” Hanson and Deann Johnson.

Mass of Christian Burial 11 AM Wednesday, December 8 at the Church of St. Margaret Mary, Theo. Wirth Parkway at Golden Valley Road, Golden Valley.  Private interment at Fort Snelling National Cemetery.  Masks are requested during the mass and visitation. A delayed recording of her Mass will be available within her obituary notice for people who do not wish to join in person­.

Visitation December 7 ^th from 5 - 8 pm at Gearty-Delmore Robbinsdale Chapel, 3888 W. Broadway, Robbinsdale and one hour prior to mass.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to PRISM, 1220 Zane Ave. N., Golden Valley, MN  55422 (to donate directly please click here ), Second Harvest Heartland, c/o Donor Relations, 7101 Winnetka Ave. N., Brooklyn Park, MN  55428 (to donate directly please click here ) or the Poor Clare Monastery of Sauk Rapids, 421 S. 4th Street, Sauk Rapids, MN  56379.

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