Brian Marschner, 50, Minot, formerly of Voltaire (Kongsberg), died Monday, July 29, 2024, in a Minot nursing home.
Brian David Marschner was born Feb 15,1974. He was the second child of Betty (Martin) Marschner and David Marschner of rural Voltaire (Kongsberg) ND. He became a child of God through the waters of Holy Baptism on Feb 27, 1974, at St John Lutheran Church in rural Voltaire (Kongsberg), ND. Brian lived on the family farm all but seven years of his earthly life.
From early years, Brian faced many challenges. At the age of nine years, it became evident that he was seriously ill. On Memorial Day weekend, he was hospitalized with an early diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Making the decision to fly to Rochester, MN was indeed wise as he had failing kidney function upon admittance to St Mary’s Hospital. He was hospitalized in the pediatric ICU for a month. After extensive testing it was found he had Burkitts Lymphoma a very rare and mostly fatal disease. To combat this, he was treated aggressively with a regimen of intensive chemo and radiation. The brain radiation would chart his future many years later.
Amid the struggles, Brian and his family enjoyed an all-expense paid trip to Walt Disney World, Epcot, Kennedy Space Center, and Sea World. It was all funded by a fledgling group called the Sunshine Foundation.
During school, it was found that Brian had a profound learning disability. As a result, most of his education happened in the Resource Room in Velva Public Schools under the tutelage of his beloved teacher Holly Stroh. Through hard work and the help of his teachers, Brian graduated from Velva Public Schools in May of 1992.
After high school graduation, Brian remained on the family farm, where he helped with dairy chores and various farm duties.
Brian liked tinkering with electronics and exploring the countryside with his ATV. He also enjoyed the Fall hunting season, as he walked the hilly countryside in the area with many relatives. He was affectionately known as the ‘Candyman’ as he supplied the hunting party with an endless supply of water and snacks from his hunter orange backpack. Brian spent countless hours on his player piano, a gift from his maternal grandfather. He built a large collection of music piano rolls in a variety of genres that brought him much joy.
Besides recovering from leukemia, Brian also battled Grand maI seizures. One winter evening he was hospitalized for a short week and was given a med which was to alleviate the seizures. It was effective for five years when he again was beset with more severe seizures. The seizures brought him once more to the Mayo Clinic, where it was found he had a syndrome found in long-surviving patients of brain radiation. They had a dozen cases to date. Brian was released home again, and it was found with each new episode, he would exhibit mild paralysis and speech deficits.
On July 30, 2017, Brian collapsed in a church pew. He was rushed to the hospital and it was found he succumbed to a massive hemorrhagic stroke and had a 30 % survival chance. On Labor Day weekend he was admitted as a resident of Trinity Nursing Home. He had complete paralysis on his right side and was largely non-verbal.
Brian loved zooming around the Trinity complex in his motorized chair. He especially loved visiting staff if they had a stash of treats. His smile blessed everyone he encountered.
Recently, Brian was diagnosed with liver failure, and his health markedly declined.
On July 29, the Lord Jesus took Brian out of the vale of tears and ushered him into His presence and embrace. With Jesus, no one will snatch Brian away again. He is safe and secure; Brian has Jesus and Jesus has Brian.
Brian is survived by his parents David and Betty (Martin) Marschner; his sister Paula Marschner of Bismarck ND; and brother Scott and wife Beth Marschner, nieces Lisa and Laura Marschner and Nephew Connor Marschner all of rural Voltaire (Kongsberg).
Preceding Brian in death are his fraternal grandparents Henry and Vera Marschner and maternal grandparents Walter and Helen Martin.
Funeral Service: 11:00 a.m. Monday, August 5, 2024 at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Minot. To view a livestream of the funeral service access https://www.facebook.com/stpaulslutheranchurchminot/
Visitation: Sunday, August 4th from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the church.
Prayer Service: 5:00 p.m. Sunday in the church. To view a livestream of the prayer service, access https://www.facebook.com/stpaulslutheranchurchminot/
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