Gillette, Marie Georgina

Marie Georgina Gillette, 86, a resident of Willow Gardens Care Center, Marion, Iowa, died Wednesday, July 21, 2010. Arrangements by Murdoch Funeral Home & Cremation Center, Marion, Iowa.

Survivors include her children, Richard (Jennifer Horne) Gillette of Pinole, Calif., Kurt (Mary) Gillette of Springville, Iowa, and Diane Gillette (Susan Eppel) of Waddell, Ariz.; and two grandchildren, Matthew (Marissa) Gillette of San Ramon, Calif., and Nichole Jack of Cedar Rapids.

She was preceded in death by her parents, two brothers and one sister.

Marie was born Oct. 1, 1923, the daughter of Dow and Lillian (Hammer) Ayres, in Venice, Calif. She was married to Bert Gillette in 1945 for 18 years. Marie was a prima ballerina in her youth and danced in many ballets in the 1930s. She was one of the first people to perform live on television. She taught and operated a dance studio in Iowa City in the late 1940s. Marie often talked about her mother's journey across the west in a covered wagon in the 1880s. Marie enjoyed the fine arts and worked with the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art. She loved gardening and caring for her flowers and was an avid reader, especially of science fiction. Marie enjoyed the companionship of her cats. She was a loving mother and grandmother.

We will miss you!