Marian Marie Drake, 90, of Windsor, Wisconsin, passed away peacefully on Sunday morning, October 15, 2023.

Marian was born on December 24, 1932 to Dorothea Marian (Peltier) Hansen and Earl Karl Hansen in St. Paul, Minnesota. After Marian graduated from Harding High School in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1951, she went on to study at Mission House College in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, where she met Francis Drake, whom she married on August 27, 1954.

Marian and Francis went on to have 3 children, David, Steven and Kenneth.

Marian worked a variety of jobs (telephone operator, retail, bookkeeping) early in her adulthood and then focused primarily on raising her family with Francis.

For many years, Marian was a very active volunteer member of her community, delivering meals on wheels, taking people to medical appointments and filling various roles at the Deforest Community and Senior Center, including as a member of the board of directors. In 2021 she received the Governor’s Service Award for 33 years of volunteer service to her community and in 2022 she received the Volunteer of the Century award in recognition of her 34 years of dedicated and tireless service in the Deforest area community.

In addition to her volunteer work, Marian was an avid gardener, having started at the age of 7, under the guidance of her grandparents. As an adult and mother, she later tended her own gardens, growing a diverse variety of healthy vegetables and produce for her family. She had great success, and in addition to giving away the fruits of her labors to friends and family, she eventually started selling her produce and flowers at the farmers market on the square in Madison, Wisconsin (1985-2016) and in Sun Prairie Wisconsin (1988-2013). She enjoyed this immensely for many, many years, until she finally had to retire from these activities. She was a member of the Mendota Gardeners, Windsor Garden Club, and Madison Herb Society, as well as a teacher of crafts and breadmaking at MATC.

Marian was always an active member of her church, and was the spiritual center of her family. In addition to her many other acts of service, she helped provide transportation to people that would have otherwise been unable to get to church and for many years was also a dedicated member of the church choir.

Marian was preceded in death by her brother William Hansen. She is survived by her husband of 69 years Francis Drake, her 3 sons David (Beth), Steven (Inna) and Kenneth (Mary), as well as three grandchildren (Christine, Kevin and Elizabeth) and one great-granddaughter (Caitlin).

A small private graveside ceremony will be held at Hillside Cemetery in Poynette, Wisconsin. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to either Agrace hospice center (https://www.agrace.org/) or the Deforest Area Community and Senior Center (https://deforestcenter.org/).

Ryan Funeral Home & Cremation Services

2418 N Sherman Ave

608-249-8257

Marian Drake

December 24, 1932 - October 15, 2023

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