MARIE D. SUNDENE, 79, of Cherokee, Iowa passed away Monday, June 2, 2014 at Cherokee Regional Medical Center.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, June 7, 2014 at the Boothby Funeral Home in Cherokee, Iowa. Pastor Tom Petersen will officiate. Burial will be at Cherokee Memory Gardens. There will be a family prayer service at 10:15 a.m. at the funeral home on Saturday. Visitation will be on Friday from 1 p.m. until 8 p.m. at the funeral home with the family present from 6 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. On line condolences may be left at ww.boothbyfuneral.com

Marie was born May 15, 1935 at Holstein, Iowa to Frank and Alma (Miller) Dittmer. She graduated from Holstein High School in 1953. She was married to Donald "Swede" Sundene on March 1, 1958 at Nashua, Iowa. She had worked at Cherokee Mental Health Institute. She was a homemaker and later worked as a Nurse's Aide at Country Side Estates and Hilltop Nursing Home in Cherokee. She was affiliated with the Lutheran Church. She enjoyed playing cards, reading books, puzzles and gardening.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband November 9, 1983, two sisters Arlene Mohn and Lois Boldra and a brother Howard Dittmer.

She is survived by 5 children; Nancy Grienke and her significant other Doug Brownmiller of Cherokee, Iowa; Wanda (Mike) Johnson of Omaha, Nebraska; Barry (Debora) Sundene of Cherokee, Iowa; Jimmy Sundene of Omaha, Nebraska and Kevin (Donna) Sundene of Aurelia, Iowa; 9 grandchildren, 7 great grandchildren, one brother Robert (Eva) Dittmer, two sisters Loretta Skairn of Wall Lake, Iowa, Janet (Ron) Nielsen of Ida Grove, Iowa.