Marlene Fenstermann

Caring…for barns, flowering plants, and, most importantly, people, has been the mission and passion of longtime Decorah resident Marlene Fenstermann. Her husband Duane talked her out of her original passion, to be a missionary in the foreign mission fields, encouraging her instead to train as a nurse and join him on a lifelong journey.

On a cold, but sunny February day in 1937, when her parents were supposed to pick up the season’s baby chicks, Marlene Kay was born in the old Decorah Hospital. This same day, the Winneshiek Tuberculosis Group envisioned Winneshiek County Public Health Nursing Service (WCPHNS), where Marlene would work as Administrator 34 years later, in an office just across the hall from where she was born.

Marlene was at the head of WCPHNS as it grew from one nurse and one secretary to a group of often 20, including Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses, and support staff serving the needs of homebound patients in Winneshiek County. She also started a successful collaboration with the Luther College Nursing Program.

Her memoir, “My Journey in Public Health Nursing”, is a tribute to the dedicated nurses with whom she worked for 32 years and the widely varied needs of their patients – from prenatal care to terminal care and a myriad of physical and mental conditions in between birth and death. Journeys to patients’ homes often involved harsh weather, bad road conditions, and even personal danger. Marlene has kept her patients’ stories close to her heart.

She grew up on a farm in Ludlow Township of Allamakee County when extended families lived close together, sharing a church, a country school, farm chores, and the ups and downs of daily life. Experiencing the death of her two-year-old brother during farm chores was a shared sorrow for the family and an indelible memory for a little girl of eight.

Marlene’s education and work experiences took her around Iowa and to North Carolina, but she returned to Decorah when Duane was hired at Luther College as Acquisitions Librarian. She worked with the Iowa Barn Foundation for years to help save old barns around Iowa, loves flowers – especially daffodils – as they bloom in season, and enjoys photographing nature and the world around her. Some favorite photos are of the landmark Decorah Eastside School days before its demolition. I have read Marlene’s memoir and the tributes to her as she retired. My favorite: “She was blessed to be a blessing.”

What’s the best advice anyone ever gave you?

“Join me in public health nursing,” from Dorothy Hastings, RN, my mentor.

Share a memory from public health nursing in Winneshiek County.

So many, such different needs. A long impactful memory is of Michael Dawley who was severely injured, eventually quadriplegia, at North Winneshiek School in 1974. He ran into a folded up trampoline and it fell on him, knocking him unconscious and near death, but his mother never gave up on him. The WCPHNS cared for Micheal and helped his mother care for him at home for 30 years until mother and son went into a nursing home together. This experience epitomizes the reason for public health nursing care.

What food could you eat every day?

Dark chocolate… and is tea a food?

Who is a person who had a big impact on your childhood? Rev. Henry Johnson at rural Zalmona Presbyterian Church, a Dutch immigrant who knew at least seven languages and, thankfully, had us memorize many Bible verses.

How did you come to work with the Iowa Barn Foundation?

On the road driving to and from Des Moines for meetings and conferences related to Public Health Care, I would notice the barns of Iowa’s farms, often in disrepair next to more modern structures. Working with the Iowa Barn Foundation to help families preserve their barns became another mission of mine. One of my favorites was a unique tin barn near Frankville that had a faucet in the loft.

What is an important lesson learned in your life?

Most people are basically good, and they all have a story to tell.

Tell us about some special memories.

– One night in 1964, when I was working at Duke University Hospital in Durham, North Carolina, we literally took down the old segregation signs and labels in halls and rooms and changed the words to reflect the new integration policy.

– I love singing, and “How Great Thou Art” has been an oft requested solo for me. After a serious stroke several years ago, I requested “You are My Sunshine” when I “came around”. Those gathered knew then that I would return to a full life.

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