Marian A. (Biesterveld) Knowles-Meleski

Wayne, Ohio - Marian A. Knowles-Meleski, age 92, died unexpectedly on April 23, 2023, at Trumbull Memorial Hospital in Warren, Ohio. She was born on November 2, 1930, in Andover, Ohio, the daughter of Hazel (Allen) and Leonard W. Biesterveld. Marian was a 1948 graduate of Williamsfield High School. On October 28, 1950, she married Kenneth Gordon Knowles. They were married for sixty years until he passed in 2011. She worked alongside Ken for many years on the dairy farm, tending to her many cats. Marian was a lifelong member of the First Congregational Church of Wayne where she was a member of the Wayne Ladies Missionary Society. On Feb. 14, 2015, she married John Jerry Meleski, Sr. She enjoyed gardening and baking and she loved her pets.
Marian is preceded in death by her parents; her first husband, Kenneth Knowles; grandson, Justin Wilkerson; two sisters, Nada Eskelin, and Doris Loveland; and three brothers, Dale, Forest, and Lavern Biesterveld. Survivors include her husband, Jerry Meleski of Cortland, Ohio; her five children, Donald A. (JoAnn) Knowles of Wayne, Ohio, David G. (Shannon) Knowles of Kinsman, Ohio, Keith W. (Deloras) Knowles, Barb A. (Mark) McNeilly, and Amy S. (Nate) Wilkerson all of Wayne, Ohio; two step-sons, J. Jerry (Sheri) Meleski, Jr. of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Daniel (Michelle)  Meleski of Chardon, Ohio; twenty grandchildren; and thirty-seven great-grandchildren.
A funeral service will be held on Saturday, April 29, 2023, at 11:00 AM at Baumgardner Funeral & Cremation Service, 8569 Main St., Kinsman, Ohio.  A private burial will take place in Hayes Cemetery.  Calling hours are on Friday, April 28th from 6:00 PM until 8:00 PM at the funeral home.  In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Wayne Ladies Missionary Society, 8936 St. Rt. 193, Orwell, OH, 44076, or to Lauren Kapeteni, 209 West Fulton St., Broken Arrow, OK,  74012.  Share a fond memory or condolence at www.baumgardnerfuneralhome.com