Marian Hille, 83, of St. Paul, MN, died July 2, 2026. A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 11:00 am on Saturday, September 12, 2026 at Zion Lutheran Church, Kulm, ND.

Marian M. Hille died July 2, 2026, age 83. She had been suffering from dementia; now we are thankful that she is free of suffering, pain and confusion. On Mother’s Day 2025, Marian fell and broke her left arm which required surgery. The trauma of that accident greatly accelerated her dementia condition.

Marian was born to Jacob and Mary Steinwandt on their farm near Ashley, North Dakota, March 10, 1943. The family moved to Kulm, ND, and Marian attended Kulm Public School; she graduated from Kulm High School in 1961. Marian attended the University of North Dakota at Grand Forks, graduating Cum Laude in 1965 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree.

Marian married Llewellyn Hille on June 13, 1964. In January 1966, the Hille’s left for language study in Paris. In June 1966, they travelled to Cameroon, Africa, on the French ocean liner Jean Mermoz. During their first term Marian worked at the mission hospital there. Marian’s main work was with newborn and premature babies. She truly enjoyed this, especially giving new mothers a baby blanket. Blankets were supplied by churches in the US, including Zion Lutheran in Kulm. On Fridays, the local market day, mothers would bring their babies to Marian to be weighed and to receive medication as needed. Those new mothers were so proud of the new baby and the special baby blanket!

The Hille’s participated in a project in Ghana and also served in Senegal. Marian held a variety of nursing positions in the US, including hospitals, nursing homes, clinics and served as staff nurse for an Iowa surgeon. Marian was active in a breast cancer organization “Busom Buddies” in Waverly, Iowa. She was recognized by the State of Iowa for her work and leadership; but of course, Marian was too modest to attend the event in Des Moines!

Marian is survived by her husband Llewellyn, sons Sheldon (Sara) and Paul (Michele), daughter Elizabeth, grandson Julian and many cousins and friends. Marian and Lew adopted their two boys in 1970; Elizabeth joined the family biologically in 1978.