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In Memoriam ~ James F. “Jim” Marrin ’60, Father of Sean ’99 and Gavin ’01

James F. “Jim” Marrin ’60

May 21, 1942 – June 5, 2018

Father of Sean ’99 and Gavin ’01; brother of Bill ’61, Mike ’62, Pat ’63, Dan ’64 and KC ’67

A Mass of Christian Burial will be said for James F. “Jim” Marrin on Saturday, June 9, 2018 at 11:30 am at St. Paul’s Catholic Church, St. Cloud. He died on June 5, 2018 after a short battle with lung cancer. His cousin, Father Joseph P. Gillespie, O.P. and Father LeRoy Scheierl will concelebrate. Visitation will begin at 9 am – 11:30 am on Saturday at the church. Burial will be at St. John’s Abbey Cemetery, Collegeville. Arrangements have been entrusted to Williams Dingmann Funeral Home, St. Cloud.

James Francis Marrin was born May 21, 1942 in Minneapolis, the eldest child of Francis J. and Geraldine M. (Lapping) Marrin. He graduated from St. John’s Prep School, Collegeville, in 1960 where he edited the school newspaper, The Prep World. His junior year, the Catholic School Press Association named Jim’s editorial entitled “This Business of Learning” the best Catholic high school editorial in the nation. Jim received a Bac

helor of Arts degree in English from Saint John’s University, Collegeville, in 1964 where he edited his college newspaper, The Record, and served as student body president. He earned a Juris Doctorate from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1967 and passed the Minnesota bar exam that same year.

Jim served his country as supply officer of the nuclear fast attack submarine USS Lapon (SSN661). In 1969, he stood watch as diving officer eight hours a day for a 73-day top secret mission during which the Lapon covertly trailed a new class of Soviet ballistic missile submarine, dubbed by NATO the “Yankee”, on its entire first patrol off the east coast of the United States. Praising their “extraordinary heroism”, President Nixon awarded the officers and men of Lapon a Presidential Unit Citation, the highest award ever given to American military units. Jim received a personal letter of commendation from the Commander, Submarine Force, U. S. Atlantic Fleet.

After the fall of the Soviet Union, and presumably declassified, the mission was described in detail in Chapter 6 of the national bestseller, Blind Man’s Bluff: a history of American submarine espionage during the Cold War by Sherry Sontag and Christopher Drew.

After his release from active duty, Jim returned to Minnesota to practice law. From 1971 until his retirement in 2018, he practiced Real Estate, Probate and Estate Planning law primarily as a solo practitioner. He was a member of the Minnesota State, Seventh Judicial District and Stearns-Benton Bar Associations. He was in the first class of Minnesota attorneys certified as real property law specialists. For ten consecutive years he was voted a Minnesota “Super Lawyer” by his peers.

Throughout his career, he did pro bono work for the indigent as well as for the Poor Clares and the priests of the Diocese of Saint Cloud. He was a Saint John’s University regent and a Director of Plaza Park Bank, Waite Park.

Jim was a loving and devoted husband, father and grandfather. He was a voracious reader of history, biography, and murder mysteries. He loved classical music and jazz, especially dixieland. He was an avid stamp collector, stock investor, wine lover, and political junky.

He was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his beloved wife of 52 years, Jane Murray Marrin; daughter Michaela (Tony) LeBlanc of St. Cloud; sons Colin (Rachel) of Sistersville, WV, Sean of Grand Forks a


Memorials are preferred to the St. Cloud Catholic Charities Food Shelf or Quiet Oaks Hospice House.
nd Gavin of St. Paul; grandchildren Ben, Norah, Lauren and Jack; brothers Bill ’61 (Peggy) of Dallas, TX, Mike ’62 of Duluth, Pat ’63 (Diane) of Kansas City, MO, Dan ’64 (Linda) of Pequot Lakes, K. C. ’67(Anne) of Cold Spring; sister Mary (Chris) Loetscher of New Ulm; and many nieces and nephews.