MARJIE A.  GAUTHIER , 76, of rural Cherokee, Iowa, passed peacefully over into the Lord's loving arms on Saturday, November 23, 2019with loved ones at her side

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, November 30 ^th , at 2 p.m. at the Boothby Funeral Home in Cherokee, Iowa. Rev. Robin Thomas will officiate. Burial will be in the Cedar Cemetery at Larrabee, Iowa. There will be a family prayer service at 1:45 p.m.at the funeral home on Saturday. Visitation with the family present will be on Friday, November 29 ^th , from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. at the Boothby Funeral Home in Cherokee, Iowa. Online condolences can be left at www.boothbyfuneral.com

Marjorie Ann (Nelson) Gauthier was born on August 11, 1943  in Cherokee Iowa to Edward and Lois Mae (Skadeland) Nelson. She had 4 siblings, older sister Beverly, and younger siblings, brothers Gary and Jim, and sister Gail. She had fond memories of her childhood growing up on the Nelson farm especially hosting slumber parties with her schoolmates.

She was in a terrible car accident at the age of 12 but overcame it as well as her injuries. Marjie excelled in the arts at school through Speech, Theatre, Band and Choral activities. She had a beautiful singing voice. Marjie graduated in 1961 from Larrabee High School with 7 other classmates who were the last graduates of the school before it consolidated with Cherokee.  Marjie was a beauty queen honored to be named Miss Iowa National Guard. After high school she aspired to become an airline stewardess but plans changed with a move to California with marriage and children soon to follow.

Her talents were many and she enjoyed a variety of jobs to include secretarial duties, owning/operating a gas station and cafe with husband Bill, and stock broker/stock office manager with Edward Jones and American Funds.

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Marjie was a wonderful mother and role model to her 4 daughters and eventual grandchildren sharing with them her wisdom and love. She loved spending time with family and friends.

She enjoyed tending to her beautiful flower gardens. A whiz at crossword puzzles Marjie was quite astonishing to see. She liked to read and stay abreast of current events. Marjie was active in causes she believed in. She served as a delegate for the Republican Party for county district and state since 1998. Marjie was very artistic and creative. She enjoyed planning family holidays and events. She was great at creating and organizing the annual friends and family block parties that she and her siblings hosted for many years, as well as being one of the Co-Founders of Larrabee Fun Days.

Marjie spent many hours devoted to family genealogy research sharing her exciting finds with family. She was a lifelong member of Larrabee United Methodist Church. She served her church as their bookkeeper for many years and helping with church events and fundraisers. She loved our Lord and doing things for others in His name. Her greatest wish for others is to see salvation in their lives so that they can know the joy of having this gift.

In spite of living with sickness for much of her life she soldiered on with perseverance.

It's really difficult to say goodbye but knowing she's released from all the pain and sickness is comforting. And knowing that she now resides in paradise is the most comforting of all.

She was preceded in death by her father Edward Nelson, a daughter Donna Bevins, and a sister Beverly Emert

She is survived by her husband William, three children: Dena (Bill) Hagey of Lake Ozark, Mo; Sherri (Charles) Waymire of Arlington, NE; Debbie (Norman) Lawson of Irvine, CA; 11 grandchildren: Matthew (Cassandra) Gerstandt, Travis (Sarah) Gerstandt, Hannah (Brian) Fields, Emily (Chad) Walton, Sean (Theresa) Hagey, Mason Hogle, April Bevins, Suzie Bevins, T.J. (Ashley) Bevins, David Lawson, and Kathryn Lawson; 16 great grandchildren; one great great granddaughter; her mother Lois Mae Nelson of Cherokee, Iowa; her siblings: Gary Nelson of Cherokee, IA; Jim (Suzanne) Nelson of Cherokee, IA; Gail (Chris) Van Scoyk of Ankeny, IA; nieces and nephews: Daniel Emert, Andy Emert, and Becky Mills.