Marlene Liptack (nee Merbitz), age 72 of South Holland, IL, passed away at her home on Sunday, June 22, 2025. She is survived by her husband, Guy Liptack, who described her as a "loving wife of 49 years and trusted friend for 52 years". Also surviving is her brother-in-law Gil (Lily Martinez) Liptack. Marlene was a caring daughter to her parents Carl and Martha (nee Pruvost) Merbitz, who preceded her in death as did her beloved sister: Caroline (Bob) Kolberg.

Friends are invited to visit with Guy on Saturday, July 12, 2025 from 12:00 noon - 4:00 PM at the Schroeder-Lauer Funeral Home, 3227 Ridge Rd., Lansing, IL. The funeral service will begin at 3:00 PM in the funeral home chapel with Deacon Jim Renwick officiating. In lieu of flowers, and in Marlene's memory, please make a donation to the Cancer Society.

Marlene had been a runway model at the Merchandise Mart, she was a legal secretary at the law firm of Fischel and Kahn and also worked for Equitable Life Insurance Co in Chicago. She was an accomplished seamstress with knitting and crocheting as a hobby. She enjoyed cooking and was the chief cook at the South Holland Rib Fest and cooked up 40 slabs of ribs for the Boy Scouts for 8 years. She was Santa's Helper at Lansing Country Club for 30 years. She was a member of the Adler Planetarium, Shedd Aquarium, and Museum of Science and Industry for 40 years as well as the Lansing Country Club. She co-sponsored the St. Joe, Michigan Ice Fest; the Veteran's fishing outing at the Lansing Country Club, and the Blind Veteran's Golf outing at Idlewild in Flossmoor, IL. She was also part of the Aqua Sphere Project regarding the invasive zebra mussel in Lake Michigan.

Marlene's favorite music groups were The Beach Boys, The Beatles, and The Stones, and she loved Handel's music of Hornpipe from Water (you've probably heard it at weddings).

Marlene loved the great outdoors with everything it had to offer from hunting and fishing to scuba diving and hiking. She and Guy enjoyed hiking the trails around Mt. Rainier National Park in Washington, hiking in Indiana, Arizona, Cozumel, and the Bay Islands of Honduras. They would go deep sea fishing in Baja and off the coast of Florida as well as surf fishing off Florida. And she would pheasant hunt in Iowa.

Marlene was a loving and trusted wife, sister-in-law, and friend to many people and will be dearly missed.