Born July 29, 1934, in Leoti, Wichita County, Kansas, Marlene was the fifth child of Ernest and Martha Lungwitz. She graduated from Wichita East High School in 1952 and attended Hutchinson Community College where she met the love of her life, William Henry Ernsting, in the fall of 1952. It was love at first sight and they were married June 27, 1953, at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Wichita. The couple lived in Ogden, Kansas, while William served in the U.S. Army at Ft. Riley, and then moved to Hays, Kansas. The couple lived in Honduras in 1957-58 before locating to Ellinwood, Kansas, where she resided for the next 66 years.
Marlene and William operated the Ernsting family farm south of Ellinwood for 15 years before establishing Ernsting Radiator Service (Ernsting’s Inc.) in 1972. They were a team in the business that provided dozens of local youth their first jobs, and the company remains a steady employer to the current day. She was dedicated to service at St. John’s Lutheran Church in a variety of leadership roles and remained active in the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League for more than 50 years. Marlene was an initial and long-time board member for the international Lutheran mission agency Lead a Child. She was elected to two consecutive terms (1989-1997) on the Barton Community College Board of Trustees.
She served on the board and volunteered at the Barton County Historical Society for more than 20 years.
She loved to travel, was a voracious reader, an avid bridge player, believed red wine far superior to white, and followed every pitch, pass, and shot of the Royals, Chiefs, Shockers, Wildcats, Jayhawks, and Cougars. In the spring she gardened, which meant she pulled weeds, planted flowers, and then pulled more weeds. She famously entertained family and friends at her pool and patio in the summers to the sounds of splashing, laughing, and the slam of the back door as she entered the house for more beverages, snacks, or one more towel. In more recent days, she waged a long war with her cell phone.
Marlene was preceded in death by her husband, William Ernsting (2010), and son Matthew Ernsting (2019); and siblings LeRoy Lungwitz and Kenneth Lungwitz. She is survived by her sons Guy Ernsting of Ellinwood, Kansas, and Andrew Ernsting and his wife, Kristi, of Overland Park, Kansas; grandchildren Levi Ernsting, Rebeka Watson, Jena Lynn, Drew Ernsting, and Jake Ernsting, four great grandchildren; and siblings Lillian Frey, Lorna Hohman, and Leon Lungwitz.
Funeral service will take place 10:30 AM, Wed., July 24 at St. John Lutheran Church. Interment will follow at Lakin-Comanche Cemetery in Ellinwood, KS. Visitation will be Tuesday, July 23 at Minnis Chapel in Ellinwood from 2-8 PM with family receiving friends from 5-8 PM. Memorials are suggested to Leadachild or Barton Co. Historical Society in care of Minnis Chapel, PO Box 246, Ellinwood, KS.