Obituary - Margery Mae (Sten) Melby

Margery Mae (Sten) Melby, 89, went home to join her Lord on Tuesday, June 2, 2015, surrounded by family.

Services were held Tuesday, June 9, at 1 p.m. Pondera Valley Lutheran Church.

A reception at the church followed interment in Hillside Cemetery.

Margery "Marge" was born Nov. 16, 1925, to Albert and Ada (Nelson) Sten in Webster, South Dakota. She grew up in the Waubay, South Dakota, area and graduated from Waubay High School in 1944. Marge attended college in Aberdeen, South Dakota, earning her teaching degree. She taught school in South Shore, South Dakota, for two years.

While waiting for a bus to Watertown to go shopping, she met Lester Melby. The next winter Lester was again in Waubay and, at the suggestion of Margery's mom, Ada, gave Marge a ride back to South Shore. The rest is history. Margery Sten and Lester Melby were married on Nov, 16, 1947, Margery's 22nd birthday. They celebrated almost 50 years together. To this union were born eight children. Margery and Lester lived on the homestead farm near Kremlin until the winter of 1954 when they moved to town. In 1964 Lester moved his family to Conrad after purchasing the Gambles store. Margery worked at the Gambles store, Home's Cafe and Pondera Medical Center/Nursing Home.

Margery was active in the Pondera Valley Lutheran Church, AAL, Steven Ministries and Amway. She loved family, music, reading, crosswords, crocheting, embroidery and making quilts. Her first quilts were made from old uniforms that she saved from her years of working. She crocheted many beautiful baby sweaters and caps for Lutheran World Relief.

Margery is survived by daughters, Carolyn (Dave) Widhalm, Marilyn (Jim) Gottfried, Barbara (Andy) Otteson and Lila (Tim) Dolezal; sons, Albert( Nancy) Melby and Mark (Chris) Melby; one sister, Alice Thielke; 25 grandchildren; 33 great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Lester; sons, Carl and Alan; grandson, Austin Jacobson; brother, Albert Sten; sisters, Gertrude Kurtz and husband, J. Francis, and Shirley Slaathaug and husband, Dennis; brother-in-law, Ed Thielke; and special niece, Nancy Kurtz Peterson.

Memorials can be made to Pondera Valley Lutheran Church or the organization of your choice.