With great sadness, we announce the passing of our beloved mother, Marlene Kerzmann (Marbut) Batka of Sedona, Arizona, who peacefully left us on September 10, 2025, at the age of 84.

Marlene was born in Garrison, North Dakota, to Evelyn Kerzmann. She was the oldest of seven children. Marlene immediately brought love and joy to those around her. Marlene grew up on a farm where she learned the value of hard work. She graduated from Garrison High School in 1958 and moved to Arizona to live with extended family.

Marlene and several of her girlfriends answered a recruitment ad for reservations agents for Trans World Airlines (TWA). They were flown to New York City where they began working in the Big Apple.

Marlene went on to marry and raise her family in the nearby suburbs of South Brunswick, NJ. She was a dedicated and loving mother. Faith, family, hard work and doing what is right were very important in Marlene’s life and she instilled these values in her children Lance, Mark, Dawne, and Kerri. Marlene was the heart of our home and family.

As her children got older, Marlene found rewarding work in the school district working with special needs children and eventually transferring to the attendance office at South Brunswick High School where she continued to have a positive impact in the lives of so many students.

In May 1999, Marlene married Richard Batka and in 2004 they moved to Sedona, AZ fulfilling her lifelong dream of a living in Sedona. She embraced the community becoming an ambassador for Sedona encouraging guests to get the most out of their time in the Sedona she loved so much.

Marlene was preceded in death by her husband, Richard Batka; daughter, Kerri; infant son, Joseph; mother, Evelyn Kerzmann; brothers, Joseph, Roger, and Terry Kerzmann; her children’s father, James Marbut; and son-in-law Lenny Hibbitts. Marlene is survived by her sons, Lance (Melissa), Mark (Elizabeth), and daughter, Dawne Hibbitts, four stepchildren, Shawn, Christa, Karolyn (Bill), and Rich (Heather), nine grandchildren and twelve great grandchildren.

Services will be announced at a later date. Inurnment will be at All Souls Catholic Cemetery in Cottonwood, AZ.

The family would like to thank Compassus Hospice for their compassionate care of Marlene.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation made in Marlene’s name to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.

Marlene will be deeply missed by her family, friends, and all who knew her.​

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