Marian E. Gourley, 91, Zimmerman

July 16, 1932 - May 25, 2024

Marian Emmaline Holt Gourley, passed away peacefully due to complications in her health associated with dementia, on May 25, 2024. She was 91 years old. Memorial Services will be at 10:00 AM on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, at Williams Dingmann Funeral Home in Princeton with visitation one hour prior to the service. Pastor Kevin White will officiate. Burial will be at Oak Knoll Cemetery in Princeton.

Marian and her twin brother, Thomas, were born to Mabel Doty Holt and James Richard “Dick” Holt on July 16, 1932, at home in Utica, MN. They joined the family of two older siblings, Leroy – 13 years their senior and Alice – 10 years older. Her twin brother, Thomas, did not survive infancy.

Marian married her high school sweetheart, Gerald (Jerry) Gourley, of Mantorville, MN, in 1951. They moved around a lot early in their marriage along with having two little boys, Dicky and Dale, seventeen months apart. In 1958 they moved to Coon Rapids. They had two more children, Michelle and Joe. Together they worked many jobs to keep the family sheltered, clothed, and fed.

While living in Coon Rapids, they helped to start Coon Rapids Church of Christ. They faithfully served there for many years. Marian co-taught Sunday School for decades week in and week out. She also helped on many kitchen committees and made countless cakes, pans of toffee bars along with jello salad to be served at funerals, weddings, fellowship dinners, and linger longers. They made lifelong friends at church.

In 1967 the Gourley family moved to Elk River. Mom worked outside the home at the Ben Franklin store downtown Elk River. She was also involved in a County Homemakers Group for many years. Some years later they moved out of town to the house by the Mississippi River, that home is still in the family today. Richard and Deb now own it. Marian drove bus for a short time, and she also worked in the Shot Shell Department at Federal Ammunition in Anoka.

In 1987 Jerry and Marian moved to Princeton. Mom was not all that happy about leaving Elk River but moved anyway. Once she got used to it, she liked it there. I guess you could say, Marian really did not like change all that much, and Jerry kind of thrived on it. She calmed him down, and he got her to try new and different things. It was a match made in heaven that went on for 55 years until Jerry passed in 2006. Marian and Jerry were active in the church in Princeton. She really enjoyed the quilting group and working in the kitchen alongside fellow parishioners. She also enjoyed painting, sewing, and crocheting many projects for their annual holiday bazaar.

Marian and Jerry vacationed in Florida for the winter months. She really liked the sunshine and the warm weather. Marian liked going to quilt club each week and dozing off while reading on the sofa at Richard and Deb’s place. She enjoyed golf cart rides. Marian liked that the flowers were always in bloom, the grass and trees were green, and she did not have to worry about snow, ice, and falling on the slippery ground. She loved to listen to the birds, especially the cardinals.

Marian loved to read. She had many books on her nightstand to devour into the night. She was a fast reader and could probably read a book or two a day if time permitted. She also enjoyed hobbies such as crafts, tole painting, and quilting. She sold and gave countless creations as gifts to family and friends. She really enjoyed sharing her talents with others and taught many lessons to family and friends. Mom also loved to collect supplies for her many projects. She would have had to live to be 192 years old for her to use up the stuff that she had stashed away in closets and cupboards over the years. Marian also loved to go to garage sales and to shop at thrift stores. She would load up her shopping cart with all sorts of treasures. She loved to buy books, name brand clothes, and shoes!

Marian loved to play games. She showed no mercy when playing Cribbage with Jerry or her kids. She relished winning and would often smile, giggle, and perhaps even gloat by telling you how good her last hand was and how many points she pegged against you, while you were getting skunked. It was a different story however, when she played with her grandkids or even the great-grandkids, she would let them win!

Marian was a faithful follower of God. Mom would start her days out by listening to the old hymns on the radio, then by pour herself a cup of coffee, munch on an orange cranberry scone while reading the Word of God, and writing notes in her study book. One of her favorite verses was in Ecclesiates 3:11, “He has made everything beautiful in its time.”

Marian was a good listener, never saying unkind things about anyone. After telling her our woes as most children do, I can hear her say to me, “well, you know … this too shall pass.” Later in life she started adding to that statement, “but now would be good!”

Marian was loved by many. She was a faithful, loving sister, wife, mother, and grandma. She was a kind daughter caring for her parents and her father-in-law late in their lives. She loved her nieces and nephews. She was a loyal friend. She was a living example of Ephesians 4:32 “…Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God forgave you in Christ.” We, as her children saw this lived out before us. Countless people came up and told us how kind our mom was and how special she was to them. The staff in her memory care unit, where mom resided in her last days, told us what a lady she was, that she was always so sweet, and that they loved taking care of her. We would like to thank the staff the staff at Freemont Village in Zimmerman for their loving compassion to mom and us during this time.

Marian loved Jesus and was a faithful church goer until her health would not allow it any longer. She read the Bible and prayed to God to help her in daily life. Mom cherished her family. She will be dearly missed by all of us. We will miss playing cards with her, remembering that with fondness. We will think of mom often, as she loved to rearrange furniture. Dad often teased her that he was going to screw the sofa and tables to the floor so she could not move it around as frequently as she did. We will miss her décor that she sprinkled around the house, especially the many dishes, plates, glasses, and pictures of bagpipers and cardinals. We will miss her potato salad. Joe says she made the best salad on the planet, but luckily, she passed the recipe down to Bev. We will miss her caring heart and her prayers for each one of us. Marian left us a rich legacy to follow.

Marian is survived by her four children, Richard (Deb) of The Villages, FL, Dale (Debbie) of Princeton, MN, Michelle (Stan) Larson of St. Charles, MN, and Joe (Bev) of Princeton, MN; 12 grandchildren, Chad (Kate) Gourley, Robyn (Jeff) Mulholland, Milissa (Dan) Kitzberger, Lea Laudenbach, Krisie (Bryan) Galligher, Diane (Reid) Larson, Julie (Tom) Siebenaler, Jerrod and Jay Larson, and Matt (Shannon), Mitchell, and Megan Gourley; 24 great-grandchildren, Gavin, Brayden, and Bodhi Gourley,

Danielle (Brady) Bellefeuille, Jack (Tia) Mulholland, Austin, Makenzie, Logan, Annika, and Ethan Kitzberger, Willy and Nikolas Laudenbach, Kyla and Emma Galligher, Tyler, Zach, and Catherine Larson, Claire, Emily, Luke, and Kinley Siebenaler, and Piercen, Eden, and Morgan Gourley. There are also two great-great-grandchildren on the way, Danielle and Brady expecting a baby boy in June 2024 along with Jack and Tia due November 2024.

Marian was preceded in death by her husband, Jerry; parents, Richard and Mabel Holt; two infant brothers, Richard and Thomas; older brother, Leroy Holt; sister-in-law, MaryEllen Holt; sister, Alice Wise; brother-in-law, Ernie Wise; mother-in-law, Anna Gourley; father-in-law, Ross Gourley; sisters-in-law, Wanda McGuckin and Rita Johnson; and grandson-in-law, Damien Laudenbach.