Marian (Josephine) Caine Kendall, age 91, beloved wife and mother, passed away on April 20, 2024, at Porter Hills Green House Homes in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She is survived by her daughter Susan Kendall, daughter Sarah Yoder and her husband Greg, her brother Wesley Caine, his wife Ai, and their family, and sister Cheryl Jennison. She is preceded in death by her husband of 59 years, Ralph Kendall (2021) and her parents, Stephen and Bertha Caine.

Marian was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, and its suburbs. As a child, she studied classical violin and continued into college. She graduated from Wheaton College in Illinois with a bachelor's degree in English literature. As a young woman, she moved to Washington, D.C. in the 1950's to be the first female copyeditor at the new magazine, Christianity Today. In Washington, she met Ralph Kendall, and they married in 1961.

Marian centered her life around her family, faith, and education. While her children were growing up, she served in volunteer capacities as Sunday school teacher and superintendent, advocating for strong curriculum. After Ralph's retirement, the family moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where they joined Church of the Servant, Christian Reformed Church. When the church moved to its permanent home, she built its library from scratch and served as church librarian for many years. She and Ralph spent their retirement auditing classes at Calvin College together in many subject areas.

Marian was passionate about books and writing and taught both her girls to read. She loved nothing more than to talk about what she was reading and to recommend a good book to her family, friends, and church library patrons. Many enjoyed her book reviews in the church newsletter. In Grand Rapids she also revived her interest in violin, playing for worship services at Church of the Servant and with the Strathgrand Players, a Scottish fiddle group.

When Ralph suffered a stroke in 2014 and moved to Porter Hills Health and Rehabilitation Center, Marian moved to an apartment at Porter Hills to be near him. She visited Ralph every day, sharing daily spiritual reading and conversation until his death.

Marian's faith was strong. She spoke often of God's grace and comfort. A favorite verse of hers was Psalm 62:1, "For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation." She suffered dementia in her last years and was often confused, and her family are grateful for the many ways the staff and her friends at Porter Hills helped her and cared for her with kindness. Today we rejoice that she finds peace in God's love.

A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, at 11:00 am, at Church of the Servant, Christian Reformed Church, 3835 Burton St SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546.

If one wishes, memorial contributions can be made to All Belong or to World Renew .