Marjorie Boettcher died Sunday, March 26, 2017 at Luther Haven Nursing Home in Montevideo at the age of 87.
Private memorial services will be held at a later date.
Marjorie L. (Goehtz) Boettcher was born on June 14, 1929 at Austin, MN the daughter of Otto and Ruby (Naatz) Goehtz. She graduated from Austin High School in 1947 and later from St. John’s School of Nursing in Red Wing, MN in 1950. She moved to Colorado where she worked as a nurse and also for the telephone company. Marjorie was united in marriage with Harlan Boettcher on March 19, 1960 in Rochester, MN. They made their home on a farm near Montevideo and enjoyed taking their children and other family members on camping trips to the western United States. She was a 4-H leader and active in Bible Study and Sunday School. Marjorie was known by family and friends for writing letters with her beautiful handwriting.
She is survived by her two children: Brian (Marie) Boettcher of Watson, MN and Susan Boettcher of Wilmar, MN; three grandchildren: Matthew, Jonathan, and CarriAnne; and a sister, Rosalie (David) Dieter of Nevada.
Preceding her in death were her parents and her husband, Harlan who died February 18, 2013.
Get Going
"He is Risen" is the most prominent Easter message, but there's another subtle one: "Get going."
When Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene, His message was "Go instead to my brothers and tell them...."(John20:17)The account in Matthew 28 also has Jesus giving a similar directive: "Go." That's the important word---"Go."
There wasn't a huge party at the tomb. No host of angels appeared as they did to the shepherds at Bethlehem. No Roman Sodiers were called in for crowd control. The followers of Jesus were curious but didn't linger.
With that in mind, we honor Marjorie Boettcher's wish to have a quiet burial with the emphasis on looking ahead to eternal life. The family does not intend to linger at the grave for long, either. Jesus came into this world to give life, not death. After He ascended into heaven the disciples gazed upward when two angels appeared and said "Men of Galilee, why do you stand there looking into the sky" (Acts1:10-11) In essence they said, "Get going."
Keep in mind that while Christian fellowship is important Jesus works outside the church. There are168 hours in a week. don't be 1/168th Christian for one hour of worship on a Sunday morning. Be a 168/168 or full-time Christian. The people we most need to reach aren't in pews on Sundays. They're out there watching how we act, listening to how we speak during those other 167 hours.
We have a message of eternal life through Christ, and we have an assignment from Him: "Get going."