Marolane Lillian Mary Stevenson

Marolane Lillian Mary Yellen Stevenson

March 31, 1942 – September 19, 2025

Marolane, 83, passed away peacefully on September 19, in the arms of her loving husband Ed, at Village Healthcare in Missoula, MT.  Marolane was born on March 31, 1942, to Joseph and Lillian Yellen in Bottineau, ND. She was the youngest of six children. Her family moved to Salem, Oregon, in 1946. Later, they settled in Nampa, Idaho, in 1952.

In Nampa, Marolane attended Eastside Grade School, Nampa Junior High, and Nampa High School. Marolane excelled in academics.  In Junior High, she was the Student Body Vice President. Marolane was 3rd in her class when she graduated in 1960. Also in 1960, Marolane was crowned Miss Nampa and later represented Idaho in the 1963 Miss USA pageant. As her husband Ed always says, “She has brains and beauty, I am a lucky man.”

Marolane graduated from Idaho College in 1964 with a B.A degree in Psychology and Sociology. Later that summer, Marolane and Ed wed on June 12, 1964, in Nampa, Idaho. In 1965, Marolane attended graduate school at the University of Utah, where she earned her M.S. Degree in Educational Psychology, Sociology, and Education Administration.

Marolane and Ed moved to Missoula, Montana, in 1966. In 1967, she began her career as a guidance counselor in the Missoula County Public School system. Marolane loved working in the educational system.  She was passionate and committed to providing students with the resources and support they needed to be successful. Marolane's resume was pages long, highlighting awards and achievements during her forty-four and a half years of service in the public school system.

As the Director of Career Counseling at Hellgate High School, she created the first Montana Career Center and organized the first Missoula Career Fair. More than 8,000 teenagers sat in her offices at Seeley-Swan, Hellgate, and Big Sky between 1968 and 2014.  Marolane and Ed became very close to many high school students whom they helped tremendously by funding college scholarships.  

Marolane and Ed created sixty-one years of memories. They enjoyed the outdoors, social events, and simply each other. Ed tells stories about her love for fishing and how she always managed to hook the biggest fish. Ed and Marolane’s dedication to each other embodied the meaning of “through sickness and in health.”

In 1984, Marolane was struck by a drunk driver as she was walking to the post office to mail surveys for her dissertation for graduate school. She suffered life-threatening injuries that impacted much of her life. Ed was by her side for two years of intense rehabilitation.

In 1986, she returned to work in Missoula.  In true Marolane style, she turned her trauma into an opportunity for education. For 23 years, Ed and Marolane shared their story with a class of convicted drunk drivers at Turning Point Addiction Services. By 1990, she earned her Doctorate in Educational Administration and Guidance Counseling from the University of Montana.

Marolane and Ed’s love and dedication lasted sixty-one years. They were partners and friends. During retirement, they lived between their homes in Caldwell, ID, Corvallis, MT, and Missoula, MT. They referred to their retirement years as a time to sit back and watch the world go by together. Marolane is already and will be forever missed.

Marolane is survived by her husband, Ed Stevenson, her brother, Ted Yellen, and many nieces and nephews.  Marolane is preceded in death by her parents, Joseph and Lillian Yellen; her sister, Jeanette McCormick; and her brothers, Lawrence Yellen, Frank Yellen, and James Yellen.