Marie Conrad
Apr. 22, 1929 – Feb. 17, 2025
With great sadness, we announce the passing of our sweet mother, Marie Elizabeth Conrad of North Bend, who was called home at age 95 to be with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ on Feb. 17, 2025.
She died at home, peacefully in her sleep, surrounded by loved ones. According to Danish tradition, her full name was Marie Elizabeth Hauch Fenger Voetmann Conrad but she was known to her many friends as Bette.
She was born April 22, 1929, in Balsam Lake, Wis., to Holger and Else Broch Hauch Fenger Voetmann, who emigrated from Denmark in 1910. She was the sixth of nine siblings. She was preceded in death by her parents and brothers Malm, Fred, David and Danny, and sisters Rose, Ruth and Esther.
Bette’s youngest sister Gladys lives in Canada and was her lifelong best friend. At a young age, her family moved to a rural Minnesota farm where she grew up. Each spring their challenge was to see who was brave enough to be the first to swim in the lake as the winter ice broke up.
After high school, she graduated from Bemidji State Teachers College and traveled throughout the Midwest, teaching Sunday School, before moving to Washington where she worked for Boeing.
It was in Seattle in 1952 where Mom met a good-looking U.S. sailor, Robert Conrad, and they were soon married. Tragically their first child, Linda died in infancy in 1953. Upon Dad’s Navy retirement in 1965, the family moved to a small farm near Sweet Home, where they raised their four children.
Mom was an elementary school and later superintendent’s secretary for the Sweet Home School District from 1966 until retiring in 1992.
The family attended Sweet Home Evangelical Church, where Mom was active in the choir, making many lifelong friends. In 2002 they moved to North Bend to live their remaining years with their youngest son, John, his wife Kelly and their children, Else and Jackson. Dad passed away in 2010.
Mom is survived by daughters Deborah Conrad (Ted) of McMinnville, Cyndi Rinehart (Tom d.) of Sweet Home; sons Dan (Vanessa) of Sweet Home and John (Kelly) of North Bend, as well as 13 grandchildren and many great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday, March 1, at Life Change Church, 200 Ackerman Ave., in Coos Bay. A memorial service in Sweet Home will be held at a later date.
Arrangements are under the care of Coos Bay Chapel, (541) 267-3131. Family and friends are invited to sign the online guestbook at www.coosbayareafunerals.com.