Marcella Link

In Loving Memory of a Woman Who Never Met a Challenge, a Fish, or a Happy Hour She Didn’t Like

Marcella D. “Sally” Link, 91, of Brainerd, Minnesota, passed away peacefully at Edgewood Vista on June 10, 2026. Sally finally ran out of fish to catch, opinions to share, drinks to pour, and people to straighten out.

Sally was born March 7, 1935 to Stanley and Cecelia (Deering) Piasecki. She was preceded in death by her husband, Carl, her parents, and her brother, Stanley Jr. She is survived by her son, Timothy (Ann), her daughter, Carla Wheeler (Marty), her sister-in-law, Grace Piasecki, her granddaughter, Hilliary and great-granddaughters, Cora Lynne and Athena.

Born and raised on a farm during the 1930s, Sally learned early that hard work wasn’t optional, complaining didn’t solve anything, and if a machine broke, you grabbed a wrench. She spent a lifetime proving there wasn’t much she couldn’t do. She worked harder than most people could imagine and considered “taking it easy” a phrase best left to other people. She could outwork most people half her age and wasn’t particularly interested in hearing why something couldn’t be done.

Long before it was fashionable to break barriers, Sally became the first female bartender in Brainerd, Minnesota. Anyone who knew her wasn’t surprised. Anyone who walked into her establishment quickly learned two things: she could handle herself just fine, and she wasn’t about to let anyone get away with nonsense. She also never knowingly turned down a happy hour.

Sally’s formal education ended after the seventh grade, but she never stopped learning and never underestimated the value of an education. She made it her mission to ensure her own children would have the education she never got. She worked long hours behind the bar and used tips earned to put them through school. Every tip jar became a tuition fund, every shift another investment in their future. She understood what many take for granted—that education was a gift, a privilege, and a pathway to possibility.

She was wonderfully sassy, refreshingly honest, and never burdened by the need to sugarcoat anything. Family members quickly learned that asking for her opinion was a risky proposition—because once you asked, you got a complete and unfiltered answer – ready or not. In fact, if you didn’t ask for her opinion, she’d probably give it to you anyway and save you the trouble.

Sally was independent and that became evident early on. Before she moved to Flint, Michigan, her father gave her one simple piece of advice: "don't buy a convertible." Sometime later, she returned home driving a pink convertible Chevy. It was a defining Sally moment. If you told her she couldn't do something, she generally considered that a challenge rather than advice.

Sally's competitive spirit didn't stop at work. She loved softball and spent years playing the game she enjoyed so much. Later, she turned her attention to coaching, where her direct approach, strong work ethic, and refusal to accept excuses proved just as effective from the dugout. Under her leadership, her teams advanced to the National Tournament twice—an accomplishment she was immensely proud of and one she talked about often. While the players may have learned a thing or two about softball, they undoubtedly learned even more about determination, accountability, and how to take constructive criticism whether they wanted it or not.

At one point, Sally decided to run a hobby farm complete with chickens, ducks, and rabbits. The chickens behaved like chickens, the ducks behaved like ducks, but the rabbits became a lesson in biology. Confident she had everything under control, she managed the rabbit population herself—right up until there were nearly 100 rabbits hopping around the property before she realized she hadn’t been quite as skilled at identifying males and females as she thought. In her defense, rabbit math gets out of hand quickly. The rabbits considered it a tremendous success.

As a mother, she believed in building character. Modern parenting experts might not have approved of all her methods. For example, on rainy nights she’d load the kids into the car, drive down a muddy back road, and send them out to gather night crawlers for fishing. While other kids were watching television, her kids were stumbling through wet ditches collecting bait. Looking back, it was either excellent parenting or child labor. The jury is still out.

Sally was known for many things including her year-round devotion to shorts. One time when the temperature dropped to 43 below zero, she had Edgewood staff take her outside in her shorts just to prove what she’d been saying all along-it wasn’t that cold.

Another unique quality was that Sally never passed up a good deal, a free item, or anything that "might come in handy someday." While most people leave behind cherished possessions, Sally appears to have left behind an entire supply chain. Her children are still uncovering items they never knew existed and are beginning to suspect she may have been secretly preparing for every possible emergency, holiday, home repair, and garage sale from 1970 through the end of civilization.

Whether she was fixing an engine, coaching softball, tending her hobby farm, pouring drinks behind the bar, catching fish, or welcoming a new friend at Edgewood, Sally did everything the same way—wholeheartedly, confidently, and on her own terms. She wasn't interested in following the crowd, and she certainly wasn't interested in being told what she couldn't do.

Sally spent the last 17 years at Edgewood Vista, Brainerd, MN where she became an active part of the community. She felt it was her duty to welcome new residents, show them the ropes, and make sure they felt at home. You could usually find her in the great room watching sports, playing bingo, cribbage or enjoying a game of cards. She forged many special friendships during her years at Edgewood and leaves many dear friends behind, but no doubt they’ll all meet again someday for bingo, cards, laughter, and a little harmless troublemaking.

Our family extends our heartfelt gratitude to the extraordinary staff at Edgewood Vista, who made the last 17 years of Sally’s life filled with friendship, laughter, comfort and care. What began as simply a place to live became a community she truly loved and a place she proudly called home.

We would also like to thank the compassionate caregivers at St. Croix Hospice. The kindness, dignity, and support shown to Sally and our family during her final days were a tremendous gift. The care she received from both Edgewood Vista and St. Croix Hospice was truly exceptional, and we will be forever grateful.

In lieu of flowers, consider fixing something that’s broken, going fishing, speaking your mind, or making your kids gather their own bait in the rain.

It would have made her proud.

Cheers, Mom. The fish are biting, the engines are running, the cards are shuffled, and happy hour is finally on the house. Save us a seat.

There will be a Celebration of Life held at Edgewood Vista in Brainerd MN on July 25, 2026 from 2PM – 5PM. Please come share your stories, memories, and raise a glass to an extraordinary woman who did everything on her own terms.