Marissa Lynn Engelhardt

Born on September 10, 2004, Marissa is the daughter of Rob and Stacy Engelhardt. Marissa was born and raised in Decorah and was baptized and confirmed at St. Benedict’s Catholic Church.

Marissa attended school in Decorah from preschool through graduation as part of the 2022 graduating class. During her time in school, she was a part of Brenda’s School of Dance where she would dance with her childhood best friends, Lydia and Liza Hotvedt. She definitely got her dance moves from her mom! Growing up she enjoyed camping nearly every weekend all over NEIA. Some of these weekends included swimming at Gehling’s pond, riding the fourwheeler, and begging Nick (Gehling) for rides on his fishing boat. One of Marissa’s favorite childhood memories was their family’s annual camping trip to JellyStone Park in Warrens WI, to see Yogi Bear. While at JellyStone, Dad would throw endless amounts of money at the girls (Lexie and Marissa) to spend at the arcade for a few moments of peace, they always loved the prizes they came home with. Marissa found her love for clothes and fashion at a young age. She, Lexie, and the Bordwell cousins would play dress up, create fashion show videos, and make their aunt and uncle be their audience for the show. Marissa was a fun-loving child who was up for any adventure, especially if that meant keeping up with her big sister.

Marissa grew up being her mom’s right hand helper when it came to Stacy’s in-home daycare. Helping her mom with childcare led to her passion for caring for children. Lexie always said that Marissa would be her babysitter when she had children! She worked at Sunflower Child Development Center since her junior year in high school and continued to work there after graduation. Marissa loved her job, her coworkers, taking care of the children, and working alongside her mom. She was a part of the Duckling (baby) room, which was the age she was meant to care for because of her ability to calm the babies and the patience she had with them. Marissa had a very calming and caring presence about her that made her a great caretaker.

In Marissa’s free time she enjoyed going to country concerts with the Hotvedt family, including Cody Johnson & Cole Swindell. They were excited for their next concert, Zach Bryan. One of her favorite concerts was Luke Combs with her mom, sister, and the Hotvedt family. She loved spending her weekends in Harper’s Ferry on the river with her parents, friends, special friend, Terrence (Lundeen), and her second family - The Headingtons. This was her favorite pastime. Rob even trusted one of Marissa’s close friends, Luke (Meyer), to take the pontoon out by themselves! The river truly was her happy place, always putting a smile on her face. Marissa also loved to read in her free time. She could spend hours in her room indulging in a good book. In addition to these activities Marissa loved spending time with Paisley, her family dog. She would also spend time babysitting Lexie and Cody’s crazy yorkie, who she referred to as “Tucky”.

Although Marissa’s time was cut short here on earth, she left a long lasting impact on all who knew her, and she will be greatly missed. We appreciate all the love and support from those around us. Thank you to the countless number of individuals not listed that have impacted both Marissa’s and our lives.