Marlies DeLaine, 68, of Ocala, FL peacefully passed away surrounded by family and friends on Saturday, April 29, 2023 after a battle with cancer. She leaves to cherish wonderful memories to her children–Mandy Dickens (Corey) and Steven Preyar, her grandchildren–Donovan Dickens, Fallon Davis, Brooklyn Davis, Cormandon Davis, London Davis, and great grandchildren–Zyon Hall-Dickens and Lennox Levi Dickens along with a host of several distant family and friends, local and abroad.

Marlies, youngest of 13 children, was born to late parents Emil Otto & Maria Belikat Grube in Duisburg, Germany on April 29, 1955. As a young adult, she became a military wife and traveled from Germany to the United States on several tours taking up residence in Bayonne, NJ, Indianapolis, IN (Fort Benjamin Harrison), and Anniston, AL (Fort McClellan). She later settled in her “dream” state of Florida where she enjoyed the advantages of retirement from several years of nursing in Anniston, AL.

Aside from her role as a nurse, she was a mother, a wife, a sister, a caretaker, and also a loving friend to many. She was admired for her wisdom, her leadership, her bravery, vibrant energy, wonderful personality, and great sense of humor.

Her greatest admiration though would probably come from her role as a grandmother by which she was subsequently dubbed “Memaw” by her oldest grandchild. This was in essence who she was–Memaw– the ultimate family woman with a sweet Southern charm, effervescence, compassion, selflessness, endearing & loving spirit who welcomed everyone into her space.

To know Marlies was to love her. And those granted the pleasure of being in her presence at any moment in time were gifted a little something that they could carry with them forever—a funny story, words of encouragement, praise to settle any doubt, a warm sense of belonging, or perhaps some satisfaction from having ‘devoured’ one of her delicious German meals, particularly her potato salad.

She will be loved and remembered not only by her children and grandchildren, but also several family members including her sister Heidi of Ann Arbor, MI, sister Hannelore of Germany, sister Liesschen of Germany, brother Peter of Germany and brother Dieter of Germany, as well several nieces and nephews. She is predeceased by her parents–Emil & Maria and several brothers and sisters–Inge, Karl-Heinz, Jurgen, Anneliese, Hega, Gisela, and Baby Grube–all of Germany.

In lieu of a traditional service and burial, her end-of-life request was that she be cremated thereafter and at some point scattered across the ocean.  A celebration of life & memorial service is in the works and will be announced in the near future with further details.

Gifts/donations, in lieu of flowers, may be made to any cancer cause of choice via her memorial site created on her behalf on Ever Loved. (https://everloved.com/memoria…)

Shares of remembrances are welcomed and appreciated.

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference” —-absolutely one of her favorite quotes.

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