Marguerite Rebecca Asper Gudgell was born in Salt Lake City in 1929 and graduated from East High School. She is the oldest child of musician and Tabernacle organist Frank W. Asper. She lost her mother to cancer at the young age of nine.
When Marguerite moved out of the family home and into nursing school at the University of Utah, her father gave her a warning--don't marry a jazz musician, especially a trumpet player, and stay away from men who drive convertibles.
On September 7, 1949, Marguerite married Wallace Gudgell of Salt Lake City. Wally, seven years older than Marg, was a jazz musician and a trumpet player who drove a convertible. In 1963, Wally took a job teaching music on a small island near the Canadian border in Washington State.
Now a mother to three children, Wally Jr., Michael, and Terri, Marguerite Gudgell's arrival would change the lives of countless people for decades to come.
In 1967, she started the first Kindergarten on the island. A teaching job at the small elementary school soon followed. During the next twenty-eight years she taught children how to read, write, and most of all--how to live. She taught her children and hundreds of others by example-- living a life full of love and compassion. Before her retirement in 1992, she was teaching the grandchildren of the five year olds from her first year as a teacher.
Marguerite's life was not always easy but in times of tragedy or hardship her character led the way for others. Her choices came out of a deep curiosity and respect for life, a love of family and empathy for those around her. She lived and died with selfless grace and dignity. Life on Orcas Island was both difficult and wonderful - an experience that made all of those on the island equals in the struggle and joy of a special life in a remote and beautiful place.
When the Gudgell family first arrived, there were only a few hundred full time residents and even fewer "Islanders". Millionaires, waitresses, plumbers, loggers, or fishermen may have been equals in 1963 but islanders were a special class. It was a designation that did not come from mere time or presence on the island. It was a term used for those who knew how to live life well. To be an islander was to not only appreciate one another and come to the aid of those in need but to live by example and light the way to a fulfilling life through giving. Marguerite was an islander.
She passed away on Thursday, July 22, 2010 at her home near Eastsound. Her illness was quick and unexpected but she left this world in peace. She resided at 855 Lookout Loop in Eastsound, Washington at the time of her death.
Her quiet but powerful life touched hundreds of children, their children, and their children's children. Respected by her peers and loved by her family and friends she leaves a legacy that will last an eternity.
Marguerite was modest. She never sought recognition and was embarrassed by the slightest of compliments. It was her wish to not have a public service. "I don't want a lot of fuss when I go".
She is survived by her brother Frank and sisters Francelle and Sylvia. Her three children, Wally, Mike and Terri, live near her home in Washington State. Her grandchildren are Orion, Stephanie, Rebecca, John, Jessica, Chloe, Jo and Robyn. She has one great-grandson, Mason. She is preceded in death by her husband Wally, her father Frank, her mother Florence, step-mother Ellen, and grandson Henry.
Marguerite Rebecca Asper Gudgell passed on at the age of eighty, "Always Loving, Forever Loved".
Published in the Deseret News on August 14, 2010.
When Marguerite moved out of the family home and into nursing school at the University of Utah, her father gave her a warning--don't marry a jazz musician, especially a trumpet player, and stay away from men who drive convertibles.
On September 7, 1949, Marguerite married Wallace Gudgell of Salt Lake City. Wally, seven years older than Marg, was a jazz musician and a trumpet player who drove a convertible. In 1963, Wally took a job teaching music on a small island near the Canadian border in Washington State.
Now a mother to three children, Wally Jr., Michael, and Terri, Marguerite Gudgell's arrival would change the lives of countless people for decades to come.
In 1967, she started the first Kindergarten on the island. A teaching job at the small elementary school soon followed. During the next twenty-eight years she taught children how to read, write, and most of all--how to live. She taught her children and hundreds of others by example-- living a life full of love and compassion. Before her retirement in 1992, she was teaching the grandchildren of the five year olds from her first year as a teacher.
Marguerite's life was not always easy but in times of tragedy or hardship her character led the way for others. Her choices came out of a deep curiosity and respect for life, a love of family and empathy for those around her. She lived and died with selfless grace and dignity. Life on Orcas Island was both difficult and wonderful - an experience that made all of those on the island equals in the struggle and joy of a special life in a remote and beautiful place.
When the Gudgell family first arrived, there were only a few hundred full time residents and even fewer "Islanders". Millionaires, waitresses, plumbers, loggers, or fishermen may have been equals in 1963 but islanders were a special class. It was a designation that did not come from mere time or presence on the island. It was a term used for those who knew how to live life well. To be an islander was to not only appreciate one another and come to the aid of those in need but to live by example and light the way to a fulfilling life through giving. Marguerite was an islander.
She passed away on Thursday, July 22, 2010 at her home near Eastsound. Her illness was quick and unexpected but she left this world in peace. She resided at 855 Lookout Loop in Eastsound, Washington at the time of her death.
Her quiet but powerful life touched hundreds of children, their children, and their children's children. Respected by her peers and loved by her family and friends she leaves a legacy that will last an eternity.
Marguerite was modest. She never sought recognition and was embarrassed by the slightest of compliments. It was her wish to not have a public service. "I don't want a lot of fuss when I go".
She is survived by her brother Frank and sisters Francelle and Sylvia. Her three children, Wally, Mike and Terri, live near her home in Washington State. Her grandchildren are Orion, Stephanie, Rebecca, John, Jessica, Chloe, Jo and Robyn. She has one great-grandson, Mason. She is preceded in death by her husband Wally, her father Frank, her mother Florence, step-mother Ellen, and grandson Henry.
Marguerite Rebecca Asper Gudgell passed on at the age of eighty, "Always Loving, Forever Loved".
Published in the Deseret News on August 14, 2010.
Marguerite Rebecca Asper Gudgell was born in Salt Lake City in 1929 and graduated from East High School. She is the oldest child of musician and Tabernacle organist Frank W. Asper. She lost her mother to cancer at the young age of nine.
When Marguerite moved out of the family home and into nursing school at the University of Utah, her father gave her a warning--don't marry a jazz musician, especially a trumpet player, and stay away from men who drive convertibles.
On September 7, 1949, Marguerite married Wallace Gudgell of Salt Lake City. Wally, seven years older than Marg, was a jazz musician and a trumpet player who drove a convertible. In 1963, Wally took a job teaching music on a small island near the Canadian border in Washington State.
Now a mother to three children, Wally Jr., Michael, and Terri, Marguerite Gudgell's arrival would change the lives of countless people for decades to come.
In 1967, she started the first Kindergarten on the island. A teaching job at the small elementary school soon followed. During the next twenty-eight years she taught children how to read, write, and most of all--how to live. She taught her children and hundreds of others by example-- living a life full of love and compassion. Before her retirement in 1992, she was teaching the grandchildren of the five year olds from her first year as a teacher.
Marguerite's life was not always easy but in times of tragedy or hardship her character led the way for others. Her choices came out of a deep curiosity and respect for life, a love of family and empathy for those around her. She lived and died with selfless grace and dignity. Life on Orcas Island was both difficult and wonderful - an experience that made all of those on the island equals in the struggle and joy of a special life in a remote and beautiful place.
When the Gudgell family first arrived, there were only a few hundred full time residents and even fewer "Islanders". Millionaires, waitresses, plumbers, loggers, or fishermen may have been equals in 1963 but islanders were a special class. It was a designation that did not come from mere time or presence on the island. It was a term used for those who knew how to live life well. To be an islander was to not only appreciate one another and come to the aid of those in need but to live by example and light the way to a fulfilling life through giving. Marguerite was an islander.
She passed away on Thursday, July 22, 2010 at her home near Eastsound. Her illness was quick and unexpected but she left this world in peace. She resided at 855 Lookout Loop in Eastsound, Washington at the time of her death.
Her quiet but powerful life touched hundreds of children, their children, and their children's children. Respected by her peers and loved by her family and friends she leaves a legacy that will last an eternity.
Marguerite was modest. She never sought recognition and was embarrassed by the slightest of compliments. It was her wish to not have a public service. "I don't want a lot of fuss when I go".
She is survived by her brother Frank and sisters Francelle and Sylvia. Her three children, Wally, Mike and Terri, live near her home in Washington State. Her grandchildren are Orion, Stephanie, Rebecca, John, Jessica, Chloe, Jo and Robyn. She has one great-grandson, Mason. She is preceded in death by her husband Wally, her father Frank, her mother Florence, step-mother Ellen, and grandson Henry.
Marguerite Rebecca Asper Gudgell passed on at the age of eighty, "Always Loving, Forever Loved".
Published in the Deseret News on August 14, 2010.
When Marguerite moved out of the family home and into nursing school at the University of Utah, her father gave her a warning--don't marry a jazz musician, especially a trumpet player, and stay away from men who drive convertibles.
On September 7, 1949, Marguerite married Wallace Gudgell of Salt Lake City. Wally, seven years older than Marg, was a jazz musician and a trumpet player who drove a convertible. In 1963, Wally took a job teaching music on a small island near the Canadian border in Washington State.
Now a mother to three children, Wally Jr., Michael, and Terri, Marguerite Gudgell's arrival would change the lives of countless people for decades to come.
In 1967, she started the first Kindergarten on the island. A teaching job at the small elementary school soon followed. During the next twenty-eight years she taught children how to read, write, and most of all--how to live. She taught her children and hundreds of others by example-- living a life full of love and compassion. Before her retirement in 1992, she was teaching the grandchildren of the five year olds from her first year as a teacher.
Marguerite's life was not always easy but in times of tragedy or hardship her character led the way for others. Her choices came out of a deep curiosity and respect for life, a love of family and empathy for those around her. She lived and died with selfless grace and dignity. Life on Orcas Island was both difficult and wonderful - an experience that made all of those on the island equals in the struggle and joy of a special life in a remote and beautiful place.
When the Gudgell family first arrived, there were only a few hundred full time residents and even fewer "Islanders". Millionaires, waitresses, plumbers, loggers, or fishermen may have been equals in 1963 but islanders were a special class. It was a designation that did not come from mere time or presence on the island. It was a term used for those who knew how to live life well. To be an islander was to not only appreciate one another and come to the aid of those in need but to live by example and light the way to a fulfilling life through giving. Marguerite was an islander.
She passed away on Thursday, July 22, 2010 at her home near Eastsound. Her illness was quick and unexpected but she left this world in peace. She resided at 855 Lookout Loop in Eastsound, Washington at the time of her death.
Her quiet but powerful life touched hundreds of children, their children, and their children's children. Respected by her peers and loved by her family and friends she leaves a legacy that will last an eternity.
Marguerite was modest. She never sought recognition and was embarrassed by the slightest of compliments. It was her wish to not have a public service. "I don't want a lot of fuss when I go".
She is survived by her brother Frank and sisters Francelle and Sylvia. Her three children, Wally, Mike and Terri, live near her home in Washington State. Her grandchildren are Orion, Stephanie, Rebecca, John, Jessica, Chloe, Jo and Robyn. She has one great-grandson, Mason. She is preceded in death by her husband Wally, her father Frank, her mother Florence, step-mother Ellen, and grandson Henry.
Marguerite Rebecca Asper Gudgell passed on at the age of eighty, "Always Loving, Forever Loved".
Published in the Deseret News on August 14, 2010.
Family Members
Half Siblings
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Advertisement
