Dunn County Clerk Marilyn Hoyt dies June 4

By LeAnn R. Ralph

MENOMONIE — Dunn County Clerk Marilyn Hoyt passed away June 4.

By all accounts, Hoyt, age 59, performed a stellar job serving the public as the county clerk.

She had been ill for the past several years, although according to a news report of an interview with Gene Smith, county manager, Hoyt had not revealed the nature of her illness.

Hoyt began working in the county clerk’s office in 1984, became the deputy clerk, and then was elected as county clerk in November of 2006 after Dunn County Clerk Lorraine Hartung decided to retire.

Hoyt was sworn in as county clerk at the Dunn County Board meeting in January of 2007, served a two-year term, was elected to a four-year term in 2008, was again elected for another four-year term in November of 2012 and officially took the oath for her next term in office in January of this year.

“She was the sunshine on the board, that’s for sure,” said Steve Rasmussen, county board supervisor from Boyceville and chair of the Dunn County Board.

Condolences left on the Olson Funeral Home’s website revealed that Marilyn Hoyt was highly esteemed by other county clerks in Wisconsin and by officials at the state’s Government Accountability Board.

A number of people who had worked with Hoyt in a variety of capacities agreed: Hoyt was thorough, knowledgeable and always willing to be helpful.

Vickie Wente, Dunn County deputy clerk, was sworn in by Rasmussen as acting clerk on June 4.

Judy Albricht, clerk-treasurer for the Town of Tainter, has been appointed as chief deputy clerk.

The agenda for the Dunn County Board meeting June 19 includes an item for the full county board to appoint an acting clerk.

Dunn County currently is taking applications to appoint an individual to fill the vacancy left by Hoyt’s death for the remainder of her elected term, until January of 2017.

Rasmussen said that the Dunn County Board will most likely appoint a county clerk to fill the rest of Hoyt’s elected term at the September county board meeting.

Hoyt clerked the Dunn County Board’s May meeting, and in fact, clerked another committee meeting after that.

Based on Hoyt’s attendance at recent meetings, Rasmussen said he had no idea that her death was “imminent.”

Hoyt’s mother, Elaine Dierauer, died only two weeks earlier on May 20.

Marilyn Hoyt graduated from Menomonie High School in 1972.

She is survived by her husband of 31 years, John, as well as two sons, three stepchildren, nine grandchildren, her father, and three siblings.

Funeral services for Marilyn Hoyt were held June 7 at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Menomonie.

Gene Smith, county manager, and Vickie Wente, the temporary acting clerk who had previously served as the chief deputy clerk, were both out of the office for a few days and were unable to be reached for this story.