Marilyn "Lyn" LaCoursiere

Marilyn “Lyn” LaCoursiere, age 88, of Osseo, Minnesota, passed away peacefully on Saturday, May 10, 2025.

She is survived by her children Del Rey (Jamie) Loven, Val (Dan) Thayer, Bill (Sheri) Loven, and Jeff (Melissa) Loven; seven grandchildren: Danielle, Sarah, Pier Anneliese, Cameron, Dylan, Devin, and Ella; and eight great-grandchildren: Colton, Kaden Daniel, Trey, Kaia, Kaden Christopher, Israel, Ryden, and Luke. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Richard (“Dick”) LaCoursiere.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 AM on Monday, May 19, at Maple Grove Lutheran Church, 9251 Elm Creek Blvd N., Maple Grove, with visitation one hour prior to the service. Lunch will follow at noon. Interment at Glen Haven Memorial Gardens.

Remembering Marilyn “Lyn” Miller LaCoursiere

Born Marilyn Ardith Miller, Lyn was the third of ten children, and grew up on a family farm in northern Minnesota. Even as a girl, Lyn showed a great deal of independence and creativity. Her early life alternated between farm chores and a one-room schoolhouse—but whenever she had a moment to herself, she would strum her guitar and dream of the wider world.

At just thirteen, with her family’s blessing, Lyn left the farm and moved to the city of Thief River Falls to attend a larger high school. She worked for room and board and began carving out a life of adventure and learning that would mark her character for decades to come.

After graduating, she married her high school sweetheart, William Loven. Together they had four children and lived in Duluth and later in Minneapolis, always in search of the best educational opportunities for their family. While Lyn raised three boys, she also raised a daughter who would become her closest companion and, in later years, her devoted caregiver: Valerie “Bobbi” Thayer.

Lyn had a gift for creating beauty. She transformed every house into a welcoming home with her talent for interior design. This talent plus her elegant fashion style, left a lasting impression on her children, shaping their own creative sensibilities. Professionally, Lyn excelled in hospitality management, rising to senior roles where her grace, poise, and discipline earned the respect of her colleagues and clients alike.

Later in life, Lyn married Richard LaCoursiere and shared years of happiness with him before his untimely passing from cancer. Out of that profound loss, Lyn discovered a new chapter: she turned to creative writing and never looked back.

She studied writing formally, joined a literary guild, and published fourteen novels—completing a fifteenth during her final two-year battle with cancer. Lyn approached her writing with professionalism: managing her own author website, scheduling book signings, and releasing each work in both print and Kindle formats. Her books often delighted family members by weaving them—sometimes quite recognizably—into her fictional worlds.

But her early love of music remained. With encouragement from her son Jeff and her son-in-law Dan, both professional guitarists, Lyn returned to her guitar and singing, finding joy in rehearsals and spontaneous home concerts. Music gave her both solace and energy. Lyn was adored by her family. She was the radiant center of many lives, a woman of deep strength and unfailing elegance.

To Mom: You showed us how to walk through adversity with grace. You triumphed again and again over cancer and heart disease and never complained. With your gentle smile, you taught us that life is a gift filled with possibilities. You turned modest means into magic and majesty. Thank you, Mom—for the gift of life, for beauty, for wonder, and for showing us how to live with joy.