Myrtle Marie Carlson Gidley's Obituary
Myrtle Gidley
Myrtle Gidley (McAllister, Carlson) of Tacoma, WA; 12/28/1926-11/13/2013. Myrtle was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend. She is preceded in death by William Carlson, whom she married in 1947, he passed away in 1977. Together they raised three children; Douglas (Jean) Carlson, Deborah (Mark) Jones, and Larry (Gail) Carlson. Myrtle found love again when her son and Mel Gidley's son decided the two should have dinner together. The rest became history and Myrtle and Mel married in 1982, blending the family to include Cheryl (Jack) Borden, Brian (Melinda) Gidley, Susan (Will) Matson, and Craig Gidley (girlfriend Mary Jo).
Myrtle loved knitting, sewing, camping, making blankets for the Tone School, and she played a mean game of pinochle. She retired from the UPS library after also working at Hunt-Mottet and the Tacoma Public Schools food services. She was a regular member of her high school group, neighborhood group, and library group and loved every minute of it. Family gatherings were never complete without Myrtle's famous macaroni salad and there were always Special K bars if you stopped by the house. She is solely responsible for making sure all of her grandchildren never put more on their plate than they were going to eat and could often be found whistling in the kitchen. Her family takes comfort knowing that Myrtle is in heaven now, most likely knitting dish cloths and making sure the days are sunny.
Myrtle is also preceded in death by her parents, Mac and Betty McAllister, and her brother, Stan McAllister. She is survived by her husband, Mel; her children, and grandchildren; Amy (Ryan) McGuire, Teresa Carlson, Ashlee Carlson, Scott Allen, Stacy (Anthony) Kaplan, Robert (fiancée Amber) Mitchell, Sarah (Don) Hemminger, Ryan (Mandy) Gidley, Pamela (Jared) Nystrom, and Bekah (Russ) Dietsche and 12 great-grandchildren.
Private family services will be held at Mountain View Memorial Park and a Celebration of Life, open to all, will be held at First Christian Church on 6th Ave on Saturday, Nov 16th at 11:30am. In lieu of flowers, please make donations in her name to the charity of your choice.
Arrangements by Mountain View Funeral Home. Remembrances may be shared at www.mountainviewtacoma.com.
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