Obituary of Marlyne Ann Lipfert

Marlyne Ann Lipfert, 71, of Dallas, passed away peacefully at the Wilkes-Barre General Hospital on Thursday, March 7, 2013, surrounded by several members of her large family of friends. She was born in Kingston on February 22, 1942, the only child of the late William and Justine Miller Lipfert. She grew up in Trucksville and graduated from Westmoreland High School in 1960. She then decided to become the primary caretaker of her maternal grandmother, Lilith Miller, in the family home. After her grandmother's death, she moved to Washington DC. Her first position was working as a secretary for OB-GYN Doctors Dusbabek, Liverett, Erkenbeck, and Skilling, in downtown Washington. She quickly became very fluent in the medical terms need to assist patients. She then moved on to another secretarial position with the National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ) and again became proficient in that area. Next she went to work for U.S. Senator Clifford P. Case of New Jersey as a receptionist. Her work with him was extremely rewarding in a variety of ways. Unfortunately, Sen. Case was defeated in the primary in his bid for re-election in 1979. This is when Marlyne found her true niche in life working for the Environmental Protection Agency as a paralegal. Once again she became very accomplished in her work and was often thought to be an attorney. Marlyne retired from in EPA in the mid-nineties and returned to the family home in Trucksville. After searching for a ranch style home for many years, she finally purchased a home in the Elmcrest section of Dallas residing there for approximately 6 years. At a certain point she decided to buy a home in Brevard, North Carolina, but was not able to move there permanently. Upon returning to the Back Mountain area, she became very active in the North Branch Land Trust serving as treasurer for many years. The next endeavor that was near and dear to her heart was The Lands at Hillside Farm, serving on the Board of Directors until her demise. She spent many hours volunteering there. One of her biggest and time consuming efforts was restoring "The Cottage". Marlyne was a strong advocate for the concept of a sustainable farm and the many educational services that are provided. She is survived by cousins Linda Werner, Tom and Carol Ramsay, and Judy Myers of Columbus, Ohio; Don Lipfert, Michigan; and Claire Gallagher, Texas. Marlyne will be greatly missed be her family of friends and her beloved pets Jake, Mollie, and Le Le. Her family of friends will be planning a memorial service in the late spring. Arrangements have been in the care of the Yanaitis Funeral Home Inc., Plains.