Marjorie Jean Fast was born December 24,1927 on a farm in Nebraska to Henry and Bertha Fast. She was delivered by her father when the doctor didn't get there in time, and was the second of four children. Her family moved to Oregon in 1937 in the aftermath of the Dust Bowl. During her high school years in Portland, she spent one year attending a school specializing in tailoring, where she learned pattern making and advanced sewing skills. This became a lifelong creative outlet, designing and sewing for herself and her family, as well as teaching many others to sew.

She met her future husband Bud Haugen, in Portland after WIl ended. They were married in November of 1946 and honeymooned at Timberline Lodge on Mt Hood. On the way up the mountain their car got stuck in a snowbank so they spent their first married night in the car with her brother and his girlfriend. Bud was 19 and Marjorie was 18, although she liked to say she was almost 19. She sewed herself a beautiful wedding dress, as well as the dresses for her mother and mother-in-law.

During their years in Oregon they had three daughters, Teresa Ann, DiAne and Suzanne. Job transfers moved them from Portland to Baker to Eugene, and then in 1959 to Southern CA where the family settled in LaHabra. Marj was an avid reader and enjoyed many creative endeavors over the years from building and refinishing furniture, designing her backyard landscaping, gardening, gold leafing and gave beautifully wrapped holiday gifts. She loved putting on Thanksgiving dinner and was known for her "mashed potato dance" which has been passed down in the family. She was ahead of her time having her own set of power tools, and had she been born later, may have had her own tv show on HGTV.

She loved to travel and she and Bud had the opportunity to visit many countries. They got their pilot licenses and would rent a small Cessna plane and fly to favorite locales like Catalina, Jackson Hole and Furnace Creek. They moved to the High Desert where she enjoyed her work at Hesperia High School helping students apply for college scholarships. Her creative and organizational skills were used in putting on the annual senior awards night event.

After Bud's death at age 78, she was eventually remarried at age 85 to Ray Hamel. For their honeymoon they went on a 30 day cruise to the South Pacific. They enjoyed several years of travel before she was again widowed.

Marjorie is survived by her daughter Terri and son-in-law Chuma Agbodike, daughter DiAne, daughter Suzanne and son-in-law Rick Lopez, 8 grandchildren, and many great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her entire immediate family, two husbands, one grandchild Suni Fernandez, and son-in-law Roger Gillespie.

Marjorie Jean Fast Haugen Hamel passed away on February 3, 2025 at her home in Laguna Hills, CA at the age of 97. Her faith and love of family were always of greatest importance to her. She was loved by many and will be greatly missed by those of us left behind, and has now joined all her loved ones who went before her.