Marlin Lavern Tanck, PhD, age 91, died peacefully at home surrounded by his loving family on Friday, August 14, 2026. He was born October 12, 1934, in Brokaw, Wisconsin, where three outstanding elementary teachers gave him a great start in education through grades one to eight in Brokaw Public Elementary School. He graduated from Wausau Senior High School and earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin—Madison, teaching credentials in Social Studies and French from the University of Wisconsin—Stevens Point, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Urban Education from the University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee. He was employed as a Lincoln High School social studies teacher and a Cooperative Curriculum Development Center social studies curriculum consultant in Manitowoc, Wisconsin; as Director of Curriculum and Instruction for the Sheboygan Area School District; and as a Professor of Graduate Education and Director of Teacher Development at Marian College in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. He served in the U.S. Army Reserves from May 1957 to May 1963.
Marlin is survived by his loving wife and best friend Mary Lynn Brasser Tanck; his beloved son Erik Norman Tanck, MD (Christina), of Appleton, WI; by two granddaughters, Myranda Tanck (Roman Kagan) of DeForest, Wl, and Jessica Tanck of Madison, Wl; and by extended family. He also is survived by sisters-in-law Anna Tanck and Mary Beth Brasser and by niece Maria Brasser.
Preceding Dr. Tanck in death were his parents, Norman Walter and Anna Georgette Hoffman Tanck, who well cared for him through difficult years of the Great Depression; his first wife, Myrna Dixie Smith Tanck, who guided his learning of what love and life were about; his two brothers, Alvin Leroy and Earl Norman Tanck, who were of the great generation that brought us through the crises of World War Il and the Korean War; his daughter-in-law Nancy Klein Tanck; his mother Etta and father-in-law James Brasser; and his brother-in-law Jerry Brasser.
Marlin was active in politics and community service. During the 1960s he was Chairman of the Manitowoc County Democratic Party, was recognized by the Manitowoc County Ministerial Association for lobbying for passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and organized a Manitowoc County Young Democrats group. As Director of Curriculum and Instruction, he was instrumental in facilitating the transition of refugee students from Laos and Cambodia into the school district. Later in Sheboygan he continued active participation and support in the county, state, and national Democratic Party organizations, served on the board for United Way, the Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra, helped establish the Sheboygan Youth Symphony, and supported coordination of Sheboygan Public School programs with the Lakeshore Technical College and the John Michael Kohler Arts Center.
Never shying away from a challenge, Marlin took great pride and pleasure in maintaining the family homes, designing the snowbird home in Florida with family in mind, and undertaking carpentry and masonry projects that made Mary and Marlin’s home an oasis for so many.
Dr. Tanck’s values and ethics are reflected in his long-term memberships in the National Council of Secular Humanists, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Democratic Party, and the Salvation Army. Memorial contributions may be made to the Marlin and Mary Tanck Education Scholarship Fund with the Sheboygan Public Education Foundation.
A private celebration of life will be held at one of his favorite places, the Sheboygan Yacht Club. He will be laid to rest at Wildwood Cemetery in Sheboygan.
Wenig Funeral Home in Oostburg is honored to serve the Tanck family. Please visit wenigfh.com for more information.
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