Life Story: Maren Zabel
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Losing a loved one is always hard, but when death comes decades too soon, it's even more difficult to accept.
Maren Zabel was 39 years old when she died last month. She was a wife, a mother, and a very accomplished artist.
She spent much of her time in an art studio in the basement of her Circle Pines home.
"I think when I come down into this room I feel closer to her than anywhere else," husband Anthony Zabel said. "This was her space. I've told my kids anytime they want to be close to their Mom, they can come down here. And just be. Just look at her art and feel close to her."
In her artwork, you can see Maren's love of color and nature. Anthony showed WCCO her final piece: a gift for his new office.
During the early years of their marriage, he says she supported his decision to quit his job and go back to college to become an optometrist. When they became parents eight years ago, she put her art aside to focus on being a mother.
When asked how she handled the transition, Anthony said, "Seamlessly might be a word I would choose. It was something she embraced 100 percent. I think above all her favorite thing was being a mom and a wife."
He said they envisioned growing old together. That was the plan.
Maren's parents say she was a sensitive and generous child, but better yet, a caring mother.
"She was a natural. She was very nurturing and it seemed like she just loved it," Maren's mother, Sharon Aune, said.
Her parents say she loved taking her son and daughter new places so they could explore.
"I don't know if we can come up will all the ideas she had. She had plans for the kids all the time. Go to the zoo or go visit this," Edward Aune, Maren's father, said.
Maren was in the middle of redecorating nearly every room of their home, and now so many aspects of her life seem unfinished.
"I just kind of have the realization that I just have to keep going, especially for my kids. You just have to keep going," Anthony said.
Over the years, Maren sold many of her paintings and other artwork. Some of them were even displayed at art galleries. She was an award-winning mixed media artist whose death remains unexplained.
The family is still waiting for autopsy results.
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