Marsha R. Cerar, 74, of Dilworth, MN, passed away on Tuesday, January 6, 2026, at Heather’s House in Fargo, ND, surrounded by her family.
Marsha Renee Theresa (Brusegaard) Cerar was born on May 23, 1951, at St. Michael’s Hospital in Grand Forks, North Dakota, to Raymond and Ruth (Scheel) Brusegaard. She was raised in Gilby, North Dakota, and graduated from Midway High School in Inkster, North Dakota, on May 23, 1969.
The summer of 1969 was spent on Cape Cod with her brother, Dick, and Barb Brusegaard, where she worked at a plant that manufactured components for the moon rocket. That fall, she attended North Dakota State University and graduated in 1973 with a major in German Education and a minor in Physical Education. During college, Marsha participated in the Experiment in International Living and lived with a family in Lyss, Switzerland, for one month. She also took part in the auxiliary to the ROTC, and was crowned Military Ball Queen in 1973. Additionally, she played on the inaugural NDSU women’s basketball team after Title IX was introduced.
In the fall of 1973, Marsha began her teaching career in Slayton, Minnesota. During her second year of teaching, she met the perfect man for whom she had prayed. Marsha and Tom Cerar were married on December 27, 1975, at St. Francis de Sales Church in Moorhead. She converted to Catholicism in August 1975.
Before having children, Marsha worked in security, gift wrap, and layaway at Dayton’s in the West Acres Mall in Fargo, ND. She and Tom welcomed their children: Lee in 1977, Renee in 1979, and twins Matt and Jenny in 1988. Marsha was a stay-at-home mom for 17 years before becoming a paraprofessional in the Moorhead School District for 10 years, serving as secretary at St. Joseph’s Church for eight years, and then providing “Grandma Daycare” for the remainder of her life. She loved being with all of her grandchildren – they were her best medicine.
Marsha survived cancer, a brain bleed, and a blood disease before succumbing to ALS on January 6, 2026. While it took her life, it never took her spirit.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Raymond and Ruth Brusegaard; her brother, Richard Brusegaard; her great-niece, Emma Rice; and her parents-in-law, Dolores and Stan Cerar.
She is survived by her husband of 50 years, Tom Cerar; her children, Lee (Christine) Cerar, Renee (Nathan) Lauwagie, Matt Cerar, and Jenny (Tyler) Johnson; her sister, Barb (Bob) Pohl; her brother, Ken (Pam) Brusegaard; her sister-in-law, Barb Brusegaard; as well as 10 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, Memorials may be directed to HIA Hospice, the Roger Maris Cancer Center or ALS research.
A Visitation for Marsha will be Sunday, January 11, 2026, from 5:00 PM until 7:00 PM, with a 7:00 PM Prayer Service in St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church, Moorhead, MN. Visitation will continue one hour prior to her Mass of Christian Burial on Monday, January 12, 2026, at 10:00 AM in St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church. She will be laid to rest in St. Joseph’s Catholic Cemetery, Moorhead, MN.
(Korsmo Funeral and Cremation Service, Moorhead, MN)
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