Compiled and written by David R. Schleper, 2020

Bill Laddusaw, his wife, and four children, including Marilyn, moved to Shakopee on October 4, 1942.

Bill and his friend Maynard Bullock worked at the National Youth Association camp, in what is now The Landing.

There were almost no houses available that they could afford.

Bill saw the vacant house at the Mill Pond. He asked Otto Siems, who had a bar downtown called The Hole in the Wall. The Laddusaw finally moved to the house near the Mill Pond.

Marilyn was six years old. She was born on August 13, 1935, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the daughter of William and Rose (Lanners) Laddusaw. At the age of six her family moved to Shakopee, which she called home ever since.

In “Our White Gambling House” by Tom Melchior in the December 2012/January 2013 Scott County SCENE, Marilyn talked about living in the gambling house on First Avenue in Shakopee.

Marilyn noted that “I don’t think there was a slot machine in the ice cream parlor, but I think everything else had a slot machine, including at the gas station.

“The bar was still connected. You could still pull the spigot and the beer flowed! The whiskey cabinets behind the bar were still filled with whiskey … It was not a house designed for a family.

“There was also a place where there were holes drilled through the house where you could put a rifle or gun.

“When we came in, besides the smoke hanging so low, it was just terrible.

“My mother would take a pail of water and soap and a brush. She would wash an area about two feet square, and then she’d have to change the water. It was just smoke.

“And she cried.”

After high school, Marilyn met Vern Lang while making daily deposits at his teller window at the First National Bank of Shakopee. The two were married on June 12, 1954, at the Church of St. Mary in Shakopee.

In March of 1955, Michael, their first child, was born. He was a perfect full-term baby, but he was only with them for three days, leaving a permanent mark on their lives.

The next year, while Marilyn was expecting her second baby, she contracted polio and spent about a year at Sister Kenny Institute in Minneapolis receiving treatment.

Her baby, John, was born prematurely at seven months on February 29, 1956. He was not expected to live and the two were separated at different hospitals. John beat the odds and survived and was later followed by Kathy in 1959 and Sandy in 1963.

Polio left Marilyn with very limited use of one leg, and no use of the other, but other than the walking sticks and wheelchair she used, you would never know.

Marilyn lovingly raised her children without ever letting them see the difficulties of her disability. She never asked for help, and she never complained. If there was a physical challenge before her, she just figured out a way to manage it.

Marilyn made beautiful things with her needlework and crocheted many afghans for family and friends. Her greatest joy was her family. She was an amazing cook and loved cooking and baking for family gatherings and anyone else who she felt needed some treats. She was an excellent story and joke teller.

Marilyn is missed by so many people. She touched everyone she met with her positive attitude and genuine care and concern for them.

Marilyn Rose Laddusaw Lang was buried at the Catholic Cemetery. Her husband, Vernon Manford Lang, age 86, died on March 18, 2016, at Friendship Manor, and was buried beside her at the Catholic Cemetery in Shakopee.

Bibliography

Melchior, Tom. “Our White Gambling House.” Scott County SCENE, December 2012/January 2013.