Sept 1. 1924 - Oct. 15, 2008

Margie Louise Gillespie, 84, of Albany passed away peacefully Wednesday at her home in the Mennonite Village.

Margie was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the first child of Percy and Elsie Everroad. Five years later the family was complete with the birth of Dorothy Jean Everroad.

The family moved to Southern California in the 1930s.

Margie graduated from Van Nuys High School in 1943 in the midst of World War II. She met and married Roy Willis who was serving in the U.S. Navy. They had two sons, David and Richard, and settled in Northridge and later moved to Simi, Calif. Roy died of cancer a few years later.

As a widow with two young sons Margie carried on. In early 1963 she accepted the position of receptionist at the Camarillo News newspaper located a few miles from Simi.

There she met Jack Gillespie, a native of Albany and a journeyman printer at the newspaper. They soon fell in love and married June 12, 1963. In 1964 another son, Mark, joined the family.

David in the late 1960s had joined the Navy and was lost when the plane in which he was a radioman was shot down, killing all aboard.

In the early 1970s a new method of printing called "offset" took hold and Jack's job as a printer was soon to be eliminated. Jack and Margie decided to purchase The Jefferson Review, a weekly newspaper in Jefferson, near Albany. They took over ownership in 1972 and were publishers of the paper until selling it in 1998. They later moved to the Mennonite Village.

Margie was a loving person, and in turn was adored by her family and friends for her natural kindness and friendliness to all. Her beautiful smile will be remembered by all those who knew her.

She was a longtime member of the Jefferson Evangelical Church.

She is survived by her husband, Jack; sons Richard Willis of San Diego, Calif., and Mark Gillespie of Bremerton, Wash.; and sister Dorothy, who with her husband, Al Lafon, also resides at the Mennonite Village. Also surviving are grandchildren David Willis and Dianna Schroeder, and great-grandson Brayden Schroeder, all of San Diego; niece Ann of Corvallis; and nephew Kim of Tahoe, Nev.

A graveside service will be at 1 p.m. Friday at the Jefferson Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made to Jefferson Evangelical Church and sent in care of Fisher Funeral Home, 306 Washington St. S.W., Albany, OR 97321 (www.fisherfuneralhome.com).