Marlene Michelle Minker, 69, passed away on Thursday, August 13, 2026, at Indiana University Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis.

Born on August 10, 1957, in Plymouth, Indiana, she was the daughter of Michael and Beverly (Corrigan) Jeffirs. Marlene graduated from Plymouth High School with the Class of 1975.

Marlene worked as a dispatcher for United Telephone Company, where she often spoke with Richard while he was working in the field. Their conversations blossomed into a relationship, and they married on October 20, 1986, at the United Methodist Church in Hamlet. During her time with the phone company, she served as a union steward and executive board member for IBEW Local 723.

After leaving United Telephone, Marlene spent more than 20 years working side by side with her dad at MJ Package Store in Walkerton. Wickedly funny, creative, smart, loving, and often sarcastic, Marlene was a master gardener, quilter, artist, and coloring-book illustrator. She was a woman who genuinely could do just about anything. As remarkable as her many talents and accomplishments were, loving her family was what she did best.

Marlene is survived by her husband, Richard of Hamlet; her children, Holli (Michael) Fort of Plymouth, Bethany (Joe) Laizure of Hamlet, James (Carleen) Minker of Granger, and Avalon Morris of Walkerton; her grandchildren, Klaudia Kovach, Liam Fort, Max Fort, Henry Fort, Jack Morris, Elsie Morris, John Minker, and Beverly Minker; and her great-grandchildren, Emeri and Amari Heard; siblings Michael W. Jeffirs, Dana (Brian) Corrigan, Mark (Carol) Jeffirs, Gregory (Milene) Jeffirs, Christine Greig, Douglas (Stephanie) Jeffirs, Kent (Calliopi) Jeffirs, Janis (Mark) Holiday, Laura (James) Kruyer, and Matthew (Katie) Jeffirs.

She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother Stephen Jeffirs.

Visitation will be held from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Friday, August 21, 2026, at Johnson-Danielson Funeral Home, 1100 N. Michigan Street, Plymouth, Indiana. The funeral service will immediately follow, with the Reverend Dr. Sam Boys officiating.

Burial will take place at Fletcher Cemetery in Hamlet.

Memorial contributions may be given to the Marshall County Community Foundation in c/o Stephen P. Jeffirs Memorial Scholarship Fund, 2680 Miller Drive, Suite 120, P.O. Box 716, Plymouth, IN 46563 or online to the Healthwell Foundation at https://www.healthwellfoundation.org/

The best way for anyone to honor Marlene’s memory is to do something creative—draw, write, paint, color, garden, knit, sew, or build something. She truly saw the beauty in every aspect of life, and she found such joy in watching others do the same.