A bright light in the local community and all of Kodiak, Marlene was born and raised in Karluk and Larsen Bay. She was a skilled master gardener brought up in the traditional Alutiiq subsistence farming lifestyle of raising chickens and geese, tending gardens of cabbage, rutabaga, potatoes, and preserving and storing food.

Throughout the entirety of her life, she carried and shared this knowledge with her community and her children. She not only inspired through teaching but through her example, positively impacting all those who met her. The students at the Larsen Bay School chose to commend her many contributions by requesting that the Larsen Bay farm be named after Marlene as Marlene’s Garden. A local artist designed the Marlene’s Garden logo that includes Marlene’s hands cradling a seedling.

Marlene was part of Alutiiq Grown from its beginning until her passing in the spring of 2020 from complications due to Covid.  Her husband Sam Kenoyer and her grandchildren continue her legacy through their farming of Marlene’s Garden.  Supeet Neregkwarluki, Marlene’s Garden is feeding her people.