Hugo resident who lost her home dies

The trauma of Sunday's tornado may have affected the health of Marilyn MacLennan, relatives said.

By ALLIE SHAH, Star Tribune

Last update: May 30, 2008 - 9:17 PM

A woman whose home was destroyed by the tornado in Hugo became ill Thursday and died, authorities said.

Marilyn MacLennan, 62, died of what may have been a heart attack, relatives said Friday. Etta Erickson, a cousin, said she had been in good health previously.

According to the Washington County Sheriff's Office, MacLennan was found unconscious and not breathing shortly after 4 p.m. Thursday. She had been complaining of headaches since Sunday.

"The cause of death appears to be natural," the sheriff said in a news release issued Friday morning.

Firefighters responding to the scene administered CPR to the woman, who was taken by ambulance to St. John's Hospital in Maplewood, where she was pronounced dead.

Dealing with the tornado's aftermath may have affected her health, relatives said.

"It was very, very difficult. There is no way you can go through that kind of trauma without reacting to it," Erickson said.

MacLennan lived at the house on Fairoaks Circle for about a year with her husband, Fred, and 19-year-old daughter, Amber.

She had two other daughters, a son, and seven grandchildren.

Her husband is deaf and Amber has special needs, Erickson said.

The family is grieving from the back-to-back losses, she said. "First, to have lost this lovely home and now to lose Marilyn as well. ..." she said.

A fund has been established for the family at Wells Fargo's White Bear Lake branch.

"Marilyn loved people and connected deeply with people," Erickson said, adding that her cousin had a wonderful sense of humor and a strong faith. "She loved people and she loved her God," Erickson said.

She was also a very organized person, and Erickson said she was struck by how much progress her cousin had made cleaning up the property after the tornado. That was just like Marilyn, Erickson said.

The MacLennans had lived in Washington state for many years but moved to Hugo to be closer to their daughter, Kristin Schabert, and her family.

Also in Hugo, another woman came to the city's fire hall Friday morning, complaining of chest pains, city officials said. She was taken to a hospital but her condition was not known later Friday.

Paul Walsh contributed to this report Allie Shah • 651-298-1550