Marlene M. Tollas

Marlene (Stemm) Tollas passed away from her earthly life into the arms of her Savior on March 16, 2019. A Celebration of Life service will be held on Wednesday, March 20, 2019, at 11AM at Starks & Menchinger Chapel, 2650 Niles Rd, St. Joseph, with Pastor Tom Bird officiating. Burial will follow at Riverview Cemetery. Friends may visit with the family on Wednesday, March 20, 2019, from 10am until time of service at the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association. Those wishing to leave a condolence online may do so at www.starks-menchinger.com. She was born on August 20, 1932, to Harold & Marie (Stark) Stemm. She grew up on the family’s Hinchman Rd farm in Berrien Springs, Michigan and graduated from Berrien Springs High School in 1950. She met and married Robert Tollas in 1955. They were married 57 years until Bob’s passing in 2008. Marlene was a loving wife, mother and grandmother. She was a Christian women who cared deeply for friends and family. Her grandchildren were her most prized possessions. She was very gracious and humble but took great pride in homemaking. Grandma was a great cook and was known for her delicious fruit pies. She worked outside the home for several different companies throughout her career but ended up working for Amerisure Insurance until her retirement in 1994. Marlene was the family historian. She was interested in the genealogy of the Stark, Stemm and Tollas families. She took pictures of all the major family events and kept them in well captioned photo albums. She is survived by brother Norman and Ilene Stemm, sister Linda and Gil Hasso, her children, Sonia and Randy Lark and Scott and Kris Tollas, and her grandchildren Brett and Chloe Lark, Sarah and Chris Prom, Kyle and Megan Lark, Gabrielle Tollas and Mackenzie Tollas as well as her great-grandchildren Colton and Brady Lark and Hadley Prom. Marlene was preceded in death by her husband, Robert Tollas, and her parents Harold and Marie Stemm.