Marise E. Brink

Marise Brink passed peacefully on January 28, 2023, surrounded by her loving family. Our dear mother began her life on April 8, 1928 in Fort Valley Georgia. Hers was a fairy tale childhood, as she often recalled, growing up with her four sisters on the family farm in the rambling farmhouse her mother named Pineola, built in 1868. She never lacked companionship and her days were filled with fun—riding the mules, playing tennis (her mother was from France and her father built her a clay tennis court, surely the first in the area), climbing trees, roller-skating, reading and going to school. She was a bit of a tomboy growing up, and her nickname was Scrap, given by her father who fondly said she was made from all the leftover parts from her other sisters. She took singing lessons as a child and had a beautiful soprano voice. Music and singing would become lifetime loves for Marise and she would often sing in church and for weddings especially in her younger years. Her love of music has been passed down to her children.

Her home was filled with laughter, love and encouragement from her parents. Her father, Ralphiel Phillips Bassett, an Army Captain in WWI, met her mother, a beautiful Parisian girl, Henriette Blanche Alphonsine Bourdier, when recovering in Paris from injuries suffered in the war. They were married in Paris, and then moved to Fort Valley GA, where they started their family. Marise had three beloved older sisters, Marguerite, Beulah, and Simone (all of whom preceded her in death) and a dearly loved younger sister, Patsy, who survives her. Her many nieces and nephews were a source of joy throughout Marise's long life.

One of the important markers in her life was when she was 13 during WWII and British aviation cadets were undergoing training at Cochran Field not far from Fort Valley. Because her French mother went to school in England and loved the British, she would invite the cadets to spend weekends at Pineola, hosting dances and picnics for them. These kindnesses led to long-lasting friendships with their families. Sadly many of the cadets would die flying missions after returning to England, and Marise was profoundly affected by their loss.

Marise graduated from Georgia State College for Women (now Georgia College & State University) in 1949 with a degree in education. She would spend the next eleven years teaching second or third grade, in SC, FL, GA, KY and Germany, many of those years spent teaching with her dearest friend, Flo Eschenberg, who survives Marise. Theirs has been a remarkable friendship spanning over 70 years and lasting through all the challenges and triumphs of their lives. Marise and Flo especially treasured their time teaching in Karlsruhe Germany at an American school for children of Army soldiers and officers. They traveled all over Europe during that time.

It was during Marise's teaching stint in Fort Knox KY that she would meet her husband to be, Kenneth M Brink (now deceased), a Second Lieutenant in the Army stationed there. Marise liked to joke that she was Ken's second choice, being asked out only after his first choice was busy. They were married at Fort Knox in 1956, and would then journey to Lafayette IN where Ken returned to school at Purdue University to pursue and complete his doctorate. Ken stayed on at Purdue upon his graduation and Marise and Ken enjoyed music, movies and traveling on the weekends to Chicago and other cities. The importance of education was an important value for both Ken and Marise and this love of learning was passed down to their two children, Deborah Brink (Ken Thompson) and Kenneth Brink Jr (Lynette) who were both born in Lafayette. Marise also gained another sister in marrying Ken, her much loved sister-in-law Marilyn Banks (Lloyd), who survives her.

In 1968 Marise and Ken moved to Fort Collins CO where they would spend the remainder of their lives. Ken became the Department Head of Horticulture in the College of Agriculture at Colorado State University. Marise raised her children, which was more than a full time job, in addition to supporting Ken in his responsibilities at CSU. Along with ferrying her children to every type of lesson imaginable, and supporting their many interests, she was a very early believer in the importance of fitness and joined a gym at a time when she was one of the only females in a gym filled with weight lifting men. She was committed to health and fitness throughout her life, no doubt a major contributor to her long and healthy life. Marise was a devoted Christian who participated for many years in two local churches, First Presbyterian Church and then Timberline Church. Marise was extremely social and she and Ken were members of their "gourmet group" of couples that would meet monthly for special meals hosted at their various homes for over thirty years. Marise was also very involved with the CSU Women's Association and other groups. She was a savvy investor who enjoyed participating in the stock market and an investment club.

Perhaps above all, Marise was an incredible daughter, sister, aunt, wife, mother, and grandmother. She was 'Grandma' to Alex Brink (Peyton) and Carson Brink. She became a great grandmother to Lyla, Alex and Peyton's daughter three years ago. Family was very important to Marise and she dearly loved and supported her family members.

Marise was also an incredible friend. She often quoted her mother's saying that "a friend is a gift you give yourself," and she was a friend to many. It is a testament to the power of her friendship that she kept her friends throughout her life, including friends from grade school, and from every step of her life's journey. The importance of friendship is another gift she passed down to her family members.

Marise's was a life well lived, and her family will treasure every memory we were blessed to share with her.

Thanks to Mary Nell Klein and the Just As Family team for their loving care and assistance to Marise in her later years.

And special thanks to Erin and MeLisa Ellis and the staff at Monarch Greens Assisted Living, which was mom's beautiful home for the last fourteen months. Our family will be forever grateful for the loving care and friendship you gave Marise in the last season of her life.

A celebration of life will be held at Bohlender Funeral Chapel in Fort Collins, CO from 2 - 4 pm on Saturday, February 25.

A service, celebration of life, and burial will be held on April 1, 2023 in Fort Valley, GA.

Memorial contributions can be made in Marise's memory to the CSU Women's Association Scholarship Fund ( https://advancing.colostate.edu/csuwomensassociation ), Bristol Hospice (3770 Puritan Way, Suite E, Frederick CO 80516), or the cause of your choice.