Mrs. Marilyn Koele Raap, age 86, of Brandon, South Dakota, formerly of Hull, passed away on Tuesday, March 24, 2009, at the Dougherty Hospice House in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

There will be a funeral service on Saturday, March 28, at 10:30am, at the First Reformed Church in Hull. The Rev. Verlyn Boone and the Rev. Tom Van Engen will officiate. Interment will follow at the Hope Cemetery in Hull. Visitation will be after 5:00pm on Friday, with the family present from 5:00pm to 7:00pm, at the Oolman Funeral Home in Hull.

Marilyn Betty was born on September 11, 1922, at Rock Valley, the first daughter of Tennis Reynold and Tillie (Postma) Klay. She was raised in Rock Valley and Hull, where she graduated from the public high school in 1939. She then attended Red Oak Junior College for one year. She was a school teacher in Matlock for one year, Perkins for one year, and a township school northwest of Hull for five years.

On April 2, 1947, she married Marion Koele at Hull. They made their home in Hull their entire married life. She retired from teaching to become a homemaker for their three children. After her family had grown, she did substitute teaching at the River Valley School in Rock Valley and also taught one semester at the Hull Christian Elementary School. Mr. Koele passed away on March 20, 1997, in Sioux Falls.

Mrs. Koele moved to the Homestead Apartments in Hull in1999.

On November 14, 2000, she married Duane Raap at Webster, South Dakota. They lived mostly at Helping Hand Assisted Care in Brandon. Mr. Raap passed away on July 6, 2005, at Sioux Falls.

Marilyn was a member of the First Reformed Church of for most of her adult life. She enjoyed camping, fishing, and traveling to visit her children. She had an impressive garden and canned food for the winter, until she became physically unable.

Survivors include two daughters, Marcia (Jerry) Van Engen, of Boise, Idaho; and Lori Myers, of Brandon; a son Terry (Sue) Koele of Highlands Ranch, Colorado; seven grandchildren, Melanie (Matt) Romberg and Heidi Van Engen, of Boise; Nathan (Kristina) Myers and Tim Myers of Brandon; Jason and Michelle Koele, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Andrea Koele, of Highlands Ranch; five great-grandchildren; a brother, Harold (Freda) Klay, of Hull; a sister, Dolores Van Engen of San Marcos, California; four sisters- in-law, Leora Koele, of Sheldon, Iowa, Elsie Koele, of Hull, Faith VanderTuig, of Sioux Falls, and Phyllis (Elmer) Raman, of Hull; a brother-in-law, Wayne (Joan) Koele, of Cedar Rapids; many nieces and nephews; and a special friend, John Tweed, of Helping Hand Assisted Care.

In addition to her husbands, she was preceded in death by a son-in-law, Glenn Myers; two brothers, Roger Klay, and her twin, Merle Klay; and a sister, Dorothy Klay.

Memorials may be directed to a charity of the donors' choice.