Marie Odens

Marie Helen (Toews) Odens was born in Mountain Lake, Minnesota, on December 28, 1920.  Raised in a German Mennonite home, she received the Lord Jesus Christ as her Savior while attending evangelistic meetings at 10 years of age.  One of the verses particularly meaningful to her was John 5:24, in which Jesus declares, "Verily, verily, I say unto you: He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death until live."

Marie married Arthur Odens on August 16, 1941, in Mountain Lake, MN.  She graduated from St. Paul Bible Institute in 1942.  After graduation, Arthur and Marie began a lifetime of ministry for the Lord and His church, beginning briefly in Montana before returning to Minnesota. Arthur served as a pastor, and the served together in various Baptist churches in Minnesota for more than forty years before retiring to Westbrook, Minnesota in 1985.  During those retirement years, she sent daily email messages to her family, which were full of gracious encouragement and joyful updates from their life together.  Marie and Arthur were married for over 66 years.

Her life verse was Jeremiah 42:3 - "That the Lord thy God may show us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do."  Marie's life demonstrated her trust in God wherever she walked and whatever she did, and she was caraterized by her dedication to Jesus Christ, her husband and her family.

At the age of 101, Marie went to her home in glory on February 18, 2022.  She was preceded in death by her parents, Jacob J. And Agatha Toews; her husband, Arthur Odens; three brothers and two sisters; two daughters-in-law, two grandsons and one great-granddaughter.

Marie is survived by 7 children: Donald Odens, Joyce Goodwin (David), Marjean Moffitt (Marcus), Carmen Allen (Robert), James Odens, (Jill), Cindy Allen (David), and Paul Odens (Christine).  She is also sorely missed by 25 grandchildren (plus spouses) and 68 great-grandchildren.