Marian J. Cape, born Marian Friberg on June 10, 1942, in Plum City, Wisconsin, passed away on May 4, 2026. She was 83 years old, and she spent nearly every one of those years looking forward to the next adventure.

Marian grew up in Wisconsin before her family settled in Kansas City, where she graduated from Argentine High School. In 1969, she put down roots in Collinsville, Oklahoma, and it became her home for the rest of her life. She built a career as an executive and administrative assistant, and later, in retirement, answered a calling to serve others at Neighbor for Neighbor, a charitable organization in Tulsa. Her faith was the compass of her life - she was a devoted member of Collinsville Freewill Baptist Church, and her Christian walk was as steady and bright as her personality.

But any accounting of Marian Cape that begins with dates and job titles gets it backward. What you need to know first is that she was fun. She was the kind of person who loved to make people laugh, told jokes with great enthusiasm, and would start giggling at her own punchlines before she'd even finished delivering them. She preferred a grilled hot dog to almost any other meal on earth, and her drink of choice - always - was Dr. Pepper, poured from the can over a giant glass of ice. She didn't love shopping, didn't love wearing dresses, and didn't love being indoors. She loved being outside, doing things, going places, and seeing what the world had to offer.

And the world, it turned out, had a great deal to offer Marian. She water skied and snow skied - including in Switzerland. She rode thrill rides at amusement parks well into the years when most people had stopped. She showed horses as a young adult and remained a gifted rider, and she loved horses her entire life - their history, their stories, and everything about them. She was a compulsive and joyful collector of antiques, horse memorabilia, and rocks gathered from her travels across the country, each one placed with purpose in her yard. She read voraciously, traveled widely, and could talk your ear off - and you probably wouldn't have wanted her to stop.

She took in stray dogs and cats. She showed up for friends when they needed help. She always found the bright side, even in the hard times, and was smiling while she looked for it. Marian was an eternal optimist, and the people around her were better off for it.

What she loved most, above everything, was her family. She didn't merely love them - she was energized by them. Being with her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren was her deepest joy and her favorite subject. She was always making plans: the next trip, the next gathering, the next fun thing. She was always looking forward.

Marian is survived by her husband, Ed Cape, of Collinsville; her sons, Wayne VanDolah and Joel Cape; her grandchildren, Kristinia Prewitt, Gracie Cape, Randy VanDolah, and Waylon Cape; her great-grandchildren, Phoebe and Olivia Prewitt; and her brother, James Friberg. She was preceded in death by her parents, Carl and Eileen Friberg, and her brothers, Carl Friberg and Brian Friberg.

She will be sorely missed - for her bright and cheerful attitude, for her never-ending plans for future fun, for her laugh, for her optimism, and for the way she made the people around her feel like the most important thing in the world. She never stopped looking forward to the next good time.

We'll try to do the same.

Visitation will be 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm, Friday, May 8, 2026, at the Collinsville Dolton Funeral Home.

Funeral services will be at 2:00 pm, Saturday, May 9, 2026, at the Collinsville Free Will Baptist Church with Pastor Craig Shaw officiating. Interment will follow at the Ridgelawn Cemetery.