Marlene Music

Marlene Theresa (Copenhaver) Music, 81, of Great Falls, passed away on Wednesday, May 20, 2015. She was in her west side home where family and friends had been pitching in to allow for in home assisted care, a cause which she passionately supported. She had made memories where she lived and died for 55 years.A memorial service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 23, 2015 at Hillcrest Lawn Memorial Chapel. Schnider Funeral Home is handling arrangements.Marlene was born November 20, 1933 in Butte, America. Her parents, Ruth Elizabeth Aho (later Morrison) and Marcus Golubin divorced and she was raised by her mother's second husband Douglas Morrison. Marlene married Morris Music upon graduating from Augusta High School. The couple raised their children, Marla and Matt in Great Falls and when they divorced, she fell in love with antiques. Marlene married Frank Copenhaver in 1974.Marlene became the sole proprietress of the Now & Then shop, housed in the same north side location for over forty years. She began a life of digging for treasures in basements, attics and barns (often with pals Willow, Ken, and Irene). She presented expert valuation testimony and conducted numerous estate sales, counseling the grieving families about their assets and their lives. Marlene spent a lifetime rescuing and repurposing collectibles of all sorts, but her greatest achievement was understanding paper -- post cards, sheet music, photos, comics, magazines, letters, prints, books and ephemera in all its myriad and fast disappearing forms. But to her, the most important part of her calling was learning about the lives of her clients and customers (and eventually her doctors and other caregivers), and of course, the sometimes down and out who she sincerely believed God had sent her way.Marlene is survived by Frank Copenhaver; daughter, Marla Music (Alan Sweetbaum) of Denver, CO; son Matt Music of Great Falls; siblings Dawn (Roman) Zrobok of Edmonton, Janet (Don) Reed of Glendive and Nick (Arlene) of Great Falls; grandchildren Amanda Music and Marcus Music of Great Falls (who grew up next door to their beloved Gramma Marlene), Benjamin Sweetbaum of Washington DC and Elizabeth Sweetbaum of San Francisco. She delighted in regular visits with her spunky great granddaughter, two and a half year old Keyana, daughter of Amanda.She was preceded in death by her parents, Marcus Golubin and Ruth Morrison and her first husband Morris Music.Please consider lymphnet.org for donations and read about Lymphedema, an affliction of cancer treatment which caused her great sorrow. She was a brilliant and determined woman who touched many lives. And the objects she rescued will live on...