Marjorie Helen Brant

Marjorie Helen Brant, of rural Thayer, Kansas passed away Wednesday evening, October 20, 2021 at Country Place Senior Living in Chanute.

She was the fourth daughter of six children born to Andrew Emil Ritola and Tyyne Maria Saarinen Ritola on December 27, 1922 in Fortuna, California. Her parents immigrated to the U.S. from Finland – her father in 1893 and her mother arrived in 1910. Marjorie graduated from Fortuna Union High School, and being good with numbers, she took a job at Bank of America. On Easter Sunday, in 1943, she met the love of her life, a farm boy from Kansas who was serving his country in the Coast Guard. They did not begin dating until fall 1943, but the relationship between the two blossomed quickly, and on June 3, 1944, the two were married in Oakland, CA.

Following their marriage, the U.S Coast Guard provided the newly wedded couple a trip across the country, as the couple briefly lived in Boston, Massachusetts while Wayne patrolled cargo ships that sailed across the Atlantic between the U.S. and Europe. At the conclusion of World War II, the couple settled in rural Earlton. Their trip home following the war in 1945 was Marge’s first time in Kansas, and she discovered that the luxuries of indoor plumbing and electricity had not yet made their way to the Midwest. In 1946, they welcomed their first child, Sharon (Brant) Frankenbery, followed by a second daughter in 1948, Shirley (Brant) Richards. Their third and final child, Jerry Brant, was born in 1952.

With Marge being uprooted from her family on the West Coast, the young family made several car trips back to California to visit the Ritola family and other relatives.

In 1960, the family of five built a home in rural Thayer, and it is the same home that Wayne and Marge lived in until they both passed this year.

Marjorie’s career always involved numbers, starting with the first job in the Fortuna bank. She also worked for Ag Census, recorded the scale tickets of grain raised on their farm, worked in a local grain elevator, and finished her career working in the Thayer State Bank. Marjorie was highly involved at the United Methodist Church in Thayer. Following retirement, she served on the Thayer Library Board, was president of the Friday Reading Club, was treasurer for the United Methodist Women’s group, and a supporter of the Thayer Booster Club.

Marjorie is survived by her three children: Sharon Frankenbery (and husband Marlen) of Altoona, Kansas; Shirley Richards (and husband Don) of Siloam Springs, Arkansas; Jerry Brant (and wife Sherrie) of Thayer, Kansas. She is also survived by seven grandchildren, 19 great grandchildren, and one sister, Ann Jones of Blue Lake, California.

She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Wayne, to whom she was wed for almost 77 years. Marjorie was also preceded in death by sisters Eleanor Hauck, Mildred Emenegger, Esther Givins, and brother Robert Ritola.

The family wants to specifically recognize Brenda Churchill, Rhonda Green, Kim Berg, and Jan Snavely for the care and comfort they provided to Marjorie and Wayne, which allowed them to stay in their home.

Visitation will be Sunday, October 24, 2021 at Wickham Family Funeral Home, 500 North Forest Ave in Chanute, KS, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Funeral services will be held at Wickham Family Funeral Home in Chanute at 10:00 a.m. Monday, October 25, 2021, with burial to follow at Earlton Cemetery.

Memorial remembrances are suggested to the Thayer United Methodist Church and the Thayer Friday Reading Club City Library.