Marlys M (Burdorf) Gaucher

Marlys Mardell (Burdorf) Gaucher, 83, of Arlington, died on Wednesday January 25, 2023 under hospice care at the Good Samaritan Center after suffering a stroke 9 days before. She was born on December 3, 1939 in Green Isle, MN, the daughter of the late John H. and Hilma (Kohls) Burdorf. Marlys is especially remembered for her quiet nature, her inquisitive and playful spirit, and her love of beauty.

After graduating from Arlington Green Isle High School in 1957, Marlys attended Concordia College in Saint Paul. She went on to earn her Bachelor of Science in Education from Concordia Teachers College in Seward, Nebraska in 1962. With her teaching credential in hand, she traveled to the East Coast, and began teaching at Saint Paul’s Christian Day School in Rhode Island.

Marlys married the late Leonard M. Gaucher, Jr. in Providence, RI on December 27, 1965. For the next three decades, her focus was in providing enriching environments for young children, whether through teaching at formal institutions, running her own daycare business in Massachusetts, or raising her own child, Sara. Marlys returned to Arlington, Minnesota in the late 1990’s to care for her aging father, and remained in Arlington until the time of her death.

Marlys loved reading, history, music, and gardening. She was dedicated to spiritual development and inquiry throughout her life, actively participating in the church community: in her earlier years as a Sunday School teacher and choir member, and always as a bible study participant. She most recently attended the Waconia Moravian Church and the Arlington United Methodist Church. She was also dedicated to serving her community as an active member of the Lion’s Club and Garden Club of Arlington.

Marlys is survived by her daughter Sara Gaucher and son-in-law Jeff Morrow of Oakland, CA; and her sisters LaMae Rohland (Curtis) of Chippewa Falls, WI, LeAnn Johnson (Reid) of Camarillo, CA, and Judy Mueller (Gerald) of Arlington, MN. She is also survived by a niece and five nephews.

Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, February 11 at the Arlington United Methodist Church.  Visitation will be held two hours before the services at the church. Interment will be at

Emanuel Lutheran Cemetery, Hamburg, MN.