Marlene J. Grossman

   Marlene Joan (Brooke) Grossman was born in Atkinson, Nebraska on June 9^th, 1934 to Ann and Clair Brooke. She attended St. Joseph School in Atkinson and graduated in 1951. Upon graduation, she attended the Sherwood Music Academy where she earned a bachelors degree majoring in piano performance. Marlene also attended Mount Saint Scholastica College in Atchison, Kansas for a brief interval. In 1959, Marlene married John Grossman. John’s profession as a music instructor brought them to Stuart, Nebraska, Norfolk, Nebraska and lastly to Sioux City, Iowa.  John and Marlene instilled a great love of music in their four children.

   Marlene was a dedicated mother and devoted her life to John and her four children’s endeavors. At various intervals in her life, Marlene taught the piano and was a teacher who worked diligently with her students and took great pleasure in their successes.

   After John’s death, Marlene continued to attend as many of her family’s performances as she could. Marlene dearly loved practicing the piano daily and was also an avid concert-goer. Even after the diagnosis of her cancer, Marlene was still able to travel to various destinations, including to Cuba, to hear her children and grandchildren perform. Marlene was deeply spiritual and attended daily mass and was a communion minister for years. She loved going to coffee with her church crowd most days.  Marlene also served on Birthright for a number of years as well as Church Women United. Marlene was on several area music boards. She had many friends in every walk of life and she will be greatly missed by them as well as her family.

   She was a tremendous wife, mother, sister, cousin, and friend and will be greatly missed. Marlene is survived by her four children; Colette (Alfred) Abel of Indianapolis, Indiana, Eric (Lidia) Grossman of Union City, New Jersey, Michele Grossman of Sioux City, and Renee (Eli) Matthews of Cleveland, Ohio. Marlene had eleven grandchildren; Benjamin, Clara, Elijah, Nathanael, Joshua, Jonathan and Harrison, Cecilia, Misha, Vera and Sasha. She is survived by her brother Richard (Dyan) Brooke of Fort Pierce, Florida.

   Marlene is preceded in death by her husband and her parents.