Marlene J. Van Lent

Marlene Joyce (Huggenberger) Van Lent, 91, died peacefully of natural causes in her Emerson home on Wednesday, October 22, 2025. Visitation will be Tuesday evening, November 11th, from 5 p.m.-7 p.m. at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Emerson with rosary and vigil beginning at 6:30 p.m. A Funeral Mass will be held on Wednesday, November 12th, at 10 a.m. at Sacred Heart, followed by a luncheon in the Sacred Heart School gymnasium.

She was born on May 22, 1934, in rural Emerson, Nebraska to Samuel and Edna (McCormick) Huggenberger. She attended rural School District #42 Dakota County and Sacred Heart High School in Emerson, graduating in 1952.

She then attended St. Joseph Mercy School of Nursing in Sioux City, Iowa, graduating in 1955, and started her nursing career at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital. She loved being a nurse, and would happily engage anyone in conversation about all manner of health- and medicine-related topics.

In 1956, she married William Van Lent at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Emerson. They lived in Emerson from 1956 until 1968, and it was there they started their family. During this time, Marlene also honed her nursing skills at Pender Community Hospital.

In 1968, they moved to Columbus, Nebraska. There, she kept busy working at St. Mary’s Hospital, and then on to the Educational Service Unit #7 as a school nurse. She balanced her professional life with motherhood to her four children, and could be found cheering them on from the bleachers, rain or shine.

Never one to shy away from an adventure, Marlene left Columbus with Bill in 1986 and moved to the California Bay area. There they enjoyed exploring the California coast, reconnecting with family and seeking out new experiences. She was employed by Del Monte Foods as an Occupational Health Nurse and then made a career change, moving to the University of California Berkeley as a School Nurse. She loved the energy of the college environment and made several lifelong friends, affectionately known as “The Tang Gang.” Marlene would go on to remember those years in California as “the best 10 years of our life.”

Following Bill’s retirement in 1996, Marlene and Bill returned to the family farm in Emerson, and renewed their love of all things “Nebraska.” She eagerly awaited the spring and summer months so she could spend them in her garden: her true “happy place.” At the farm, Marlene cultivated her love of cooking, travel, an oaky chardonnay, and hosting reunions and get-togethers. She was on cloud nine when she was surrounded by her family. She never shied away from a friendly debate, loved to read, and could spin a yarn with the best of them, keeping her listeners on the edges of their seats.

Unequivocally, her favorite time of day was sitting in her chair by the window, watching the sun go down over the fields.

Throughout her years back in Emerson, she volunteered at the Sioux City Art Center as a docent and at the Emerson New 2 You. She was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church, and served in the Altar Society. Her steadfast faith remained a source of comfort until her final breath.

Marlene is survived by her children Diane (Greg) Bedenkop, Bill (Teri) Van Lent, Jim (Eva) Van Lent and daughter-in-law Deb Van Lent; 11 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren; brother Jim Huggenberger, sisters Maxine (Huggenberger) Van Klompenburg and Colleen (Huggenberger) McClara, and sister-in-law Eileen Van Lent; as well as nieces, nephews and countless friends. She is preceded in death by her son Jeff, husband Bill, brother Harvey, sisters-in-law Patricia, Bonnie, and Jean Huggenberger, and parents Sam and Edna.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Emerson Public Library or Nebraska Public Media.