Marilou Frances Hasenbank

Marilou Francis (Beebe) Hasenbank passed away surrounded by family, on September 1, 2026. Beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister and daughter, Marilou was born on March 14, 1932, in Independence, IA., and was christened in Buchanan County, IA. Marilou was preceded in death by her husband, Merlin, who was the love of her life, her parents, Eugene and Rosa Beebe, her siblings, Kenneth (Dorothy) and Lyman (Lois), and her son-in-law, James Labant. Marilou is survived by her four daughters, Mitzi Labant of Northbrook, IL; Marci Chmielewski (Ron), of Shawnee, KS; Molli Anderson (Brian), of Washington, D.C.; and Mindi Knightly (John), of Lenexa, KS. Marilou was the loving and proud grandma of her eight grandchildren, Natalie Armstrong, Cole Chmielewski (Laura), Kyle Chmielewski (Martha), Paul Knightly (Jessica), Connor Chmielewski (Ashley), Whitney Greta (Lucas) Carter Chmielewski (Rebecca), and Logan White; and to her thirteen great-grandchildren, Gabriel and Noelle Hoskowitz, Grace and Ryder Chmielewski, Aaden and Liam Chmielewski, Rhodes Chmielewski, Merlin, Myla, Moses and Mercy Chmielewski, and Judah and Milo Knightly. Marilou’s greatest joy was her family.

Marilou was born and raised on a farm outside of Independence, IA until, at age ten, the family sold the farm and moved to Cedar Rapids, IA. An extremely bright student, Marilou graduated at age 17 in 1949, from Roosevelt High School. Following graduation, Marilou began her 33 year career working for, what was then known as, Northwestern Bell Telephone Company. In late 1950, she met Merlin Hasenbank while roller skating at the local rink. They quickly fell in love and were married in a double wedding ceremony with their close friends Hugh and Elaine, on January 14th, 1951, in Cedar Rapids.

Marilou and Merlin subsequently settled and raised their family in Cedar Rapids. Marilou’s life was grounded in her family, and this was evident on a daily basis. Marilou was a master of both time management and organization, overseeing a very busy household with her four daughters and their many activities, while working full time. To say she worked tirelessly, for the benefit of her family would be an understatement. Marilou could often be found at the sewing machine in the evenings and weekends sewing everything from dresses for the girls, Barbie clothes, drapes, pillow covers, etc., baking, or helping her daughters with school projects. Marilou was never too busy or too tired to lend an ear, or support to her family.

As her daughters began raising their own families, Marilou’s attention and devotion turned to her eight grandchildren. She and Merlin moved to the Shawnee Mission, KS area in 1989, following his retirement, to be closer to their evergrowing family. Marilou truly enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren - attending their school activities, babysitting, making Halloween costumes and creating their own traditions like baking cookies for them each week. Even as her grandchildren moved into adulthood, Marilou, always one to stay abreast of whatever was emerging and committed to staying in touch with them, learned how to text, FaceTime, play games with them on her tablet (notably, Words With Friends), and to keep up with their lives through social media (Instagram, FaceBook, LinkedIn).

Marilou was always a voracious reader, until her eyesight prohibited her from doing so. She enjoyed completing crosswords and a myriad of other puzzles that kept her mind actively engaged. Marilou was well known for playing a very competitive game of Scrabble and Dominoes. When asked what she thought she would have studied, had she attended college, she quickly stated, “Law.” We can all agree she would have been a great attorney!

An avid sports fan, Marilou especially enjoyed football (Go Chiefs!) and basketball (KU Jayhawks), but could also be found watching baseball, soccer and golf during the “off-seasons.” Throughout her life, Marilou stayed physically active through walking and she enjoyed doing so, well into her 90s. Marilou had wide ranging interests and prided herself on staying up to date on current events, politics, education, etc. Marilou was always both interesting and interested. She was an intrepid and savvy shopper (a skill she has passed on to her daughters), and always dressed stylishly. She loved wearing heels! There was nothing more enjoyable than an afternoon of shopping and lunch out at a favorite restaurant.

Nothing filled Marilou with more joy than spending time with her family regardless of whether it was task or leisure related. Marilou and Merlin were virtually inseparable during their 68 year marriage. They worked on many projects together - renovating and building homes, taking vacations in the family’s Shasta travel trailer, and spending time at their lake home during their retirement.

We would be remiss not to mention Marilou’s love of music and dancing (especially with Merlin), having a good laugh, and her enjoyment of an occasional gin martini (three olives, please).

Marilou created a home that was filled with love, kindness, generosity, hard work and innumerable family traditions, many of which are carried on today by her daughters. To know Marilou was to know one of the strongest, kindest, loving, selfless and generous of women. Marilou loved her family fiercely, and she loved spending time with, and helping them. It is difficult to imagine a more loving wife, mother, grandmother or friend, than Marilou. We will love her forever and miss her always.

Marilou’s family would like to thank the staff of Ascend Hospice for their compassionate care and support during the past few weeks of Marilou’s life. In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions to Ascend Hospice, 4550 West 109th Street Overland Park, KS 66207.

Private service and entombment at Johnson County Memorial Gardens.