Marian Pauline Gouge

GARNER - Marian P. Gouge, 84, of Garner died Thursday (December 8, 2011) at her home in Garner.

Private family funeral services will be held on Monday at the Cataldo Funeral Chapel in Garner. Burial will be in Concord Township Cemetery in Garner. A luncheon for friends and family will commence at 12 noon, Monday at Mat's Place in Garner with parking encouraged along the north side of the building.

Visitation will be held from 3 to 7 P.M., Sunday at the Cataldo Funeral Chapel.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be directed to the local food bank, God's Pantry, located at the United Methodist Church in Garner.

Marian Pauline Gouge, the daughter of Peter and Beatrice (Miller) Haag, was born November 10, 1927 at Whittemore. She attended rural school and graduated from Presentation Academy in Whittemore in 1945. Marian overcame a lot of adversity early in her life after the death of her mother and younger brother in 1937. She worked on the farm and assisted in the care of her brothers and sister. At the age of 17, she contracted polio and spent several months in Iowa City. Even at a young age she still thought of others. A well known and favorite story she shared with her family was spending Christmas at Iowa City Hospitals, there were many children there at the time, and no Christmas tree. Late one night she crawled out of a window with a confiscated knife from the kitchen and cut down an evergreen tree from the font of the hospital. After dragging the tree back into the hospital, she helped the children decorate it with popcorn strings and construction paper chains. She figured the nurses knew who had cut down the tree but they never said anything. She missed much of her senior year, recovering from polio. After returning home, she was able to live with the nuns while completing her studies and graduated on time with her class. While in school she enjoyed math, history and participated in cheerleading. On February 10, 1949, she was married to Merle J. Gouge at St. Michael's Catholic Church in Whittemore. A short time later, they moved to Garner where they raised their nine children. Marian did work outside the home but truly devoted her life to her family. She enjoyed crocheting, knitting, painting ceramics, remodeling projects, gardening and most of all visiting with her family.

Left to cherish her memory is her husband, Merle, of Garner; nine children, John (Violet) Gouge of Garner, Peter (Joan) Gouge of Garner, Rebeccah Linahon of Redmond, OR, Michael (Judy) Gouge of Britt, Julian Pigman of Crystal Lake, Steve (Mary) Gouge of Garner, Laura (Ted) Salz of Garner, Lois Ziron of Garner and David Gouge of Garner; twenty-seven grandchildren; twenty-eight great-grandchildren; brothers, William (Ernestine) Haag and Harold (Judy) Haag; sister, Adele (Lowell) Shimmon; as well as many nieces, nephews and cousins.

She was preceded in death by her parents; brother, Robert Haag; parents-in-law, David and Alice Gouge; brothers and sisters-in-law, Harold and Pauline Gouge, David, Jr. and Alice Gouge, Kathryn Brass, Betty and Albert, Jr. Mefford, Bill and Helen Gouge, Robert Gouge, Richard Gouge and Loren Dean Gouge; and sons-in-law, Duane Pigman and Timothy Wurtzel.