FAIRMONT - Marnie Brodt was known for her elegant air, her inquisitive nature, her love for her hometown and passion for the arts.
A small woman with a large personality, Brodt passed away Feb. 16 at Goldfinch Estates in Fairmont.
"She was the grande dame of Martin County," said fellow arts patron Tom Dodge.
The moniker likely developed in the 1950s and '60s, according to her daughter, Kathy Anderson.
"She was in some ways kind of like the Martha Stewart of Martin County," Anderson said. "She did a lot of modeling in the 1950s and 1960s. She was beautiful, with a slim figure and she dressed beautifully. She was a wonderful gourmet cook, and she just had those types of skills.
"She ran classes for teenage girls on how to put on makeup, how to dress for their body shape ... That was typical of the era, but she knew all those things."
Brodt also was considered the "go-to" person to get something done. And if she couldn't do it herself, she had the connections to make it happen.
Fairmont native John Larsen personally benefited from his relationship with Brodt. The two met when Larsen was a youth in the 1960s, performing with local musical group "Nellie's Folk."
Brodt and her civic-minded business friends offered genuine support and encouragement, which continued throughout the years, Larsen recalled.
"Marnie Brodt certainly qualifies as one of Fairmont's 'grande dames,'" he said, describing her outgoing personality, flashy outfits and stylish purses. "She was a woman perpetually interested in promoting anything to do with the theater and her hometown."
Brodt was born Oct. 21, 1922, in Fairmont to Valeria "Vedie" and dentist Dr. W. Lester Webb. She was the second of two daughters. Her childhood home on Lake Boulevard was a happy place. She grew up with a love for the surrounding lakes and an appreciation for the arts and music, playing flute and piccolo in the school band.
"John Phillip Sousa marches made her cry until the end, especially 'Stars and Stripes Forever,'" Anderson said.
After high school, she attended the University of Minnesota for a short time and then moved to Washington, D.C. She worked for the War Department during World War II, decoding enemy messages.
"She always talked about that with fond memories," Anderson said. "As a 19-year-old woman in D.C. during war time, it must have been exciting."
She had begun dating Robert H. Brodt while at the university, and the two were married in 1943 in Monroe, La., where Robert Brodt was stationed as a military flight instructor. They moved around for the next few years, until the war ended and the Brodts could return to Minnesota with Kathryn, their first-born child.
After Robert Brodt graduated from University of Minnesota Law School, they moved back to Fairmont.
"She did a variety of things," Anderson said. "... Her first full-time job was when she began to work for Georgia's, a women's wear store on Downtown Plaza."
Georgia's was the high fashion place to go, and Brodt was in charge of coordinating style shows and buying merchandise for the bridal department.
When Georgia's closed, Brodt became department manager at JCPenney. Her last job before retirement in her late 70s was dining site manager in Sherburn and Fairmont for Minnesota Valley Action Council.
"Working at the dining site, some of the people who came in frequently ... often had a hard time knowing what services were available in Fairmont and Mother knew them all," Anderson said. "She could direct them to someone to help with tax preparation or transportation.
"... She knew everything and everybody, pretty much."
Besides raising two children, Kathy and Webb, and working, Brodt kept busy with many civic activities.
"Sitting still was not in her vocabulary," Anderson said.
Brodt and her husband were part of the group that started the Fairmont Summer Civic Theater in the 1960s, and later the couple were involved in restoring the Opera House. Prior, in the 1950s, she was part of the Jaycee Folleys, a musical variety act.
"Perhaps her greatest enjoyment came from helping at the Opera House," Larsen said. "That place will never be the same without her smiling face and friendly voice greeting patrons at the front door.
"If she didn't recognize you, she was not shy about introducing herself and making a genuine effort to find out who you were."
Brodt's inquisitive nature - and love for her hometown - was probably inherited from her father, who served as mayor of Fairmont for several years.
"He was mayor for eight years in the '60s," Anderson said. "He started out interested in civic government in Fairmont, as head of the parks department. It was probably a volunteer position at the time. His goal was to make sure there was a park in Fairmont within walking distance for every resident. She comes by her interest in Fairmont rather naturally through him. He was definitely a people person also."
Following in her father's footsteps, Brodt enjoyed driving around the area in her old blue Taurus, "just to see what was going on."
"She was always up for anything, especially spur of the moment outings, and when she said, 'I'm ready right now. Let's go!' she really meant it," Larsen said.
Family and friends are invited to attend a memorial celebration for Brodt at 2 p.m. June 5 in Fairmont.
