Marian Lucille Pillster

Marian Lucille was born September 9, 1928 in St. Joseph, Missouri. Her parents, Stanley and Violet Gillespie had six additional children as well. Edmond, Duane, Melvin, Rosalee, Richard, and Stanley.

When Marian was a young girl her family moved to Oregon to live on a farm. Growing up the Gillespie children would routinely have a lot of kids at their house. It wasn’t unusual for Marian to have 4-5 friends over at the same time. Playing Ping Pong at the house or going Roller Skating at Oaks Park were some of their favorite past times.

Marian went to Gresham High School. At one point when she was in High School, real wood Clog Shoes with a leather upper straps became a fad. She took her berry picking money and went to Oregon City and bought herself a pair. The next morning she “clomped” down the stairs and wore them to school. She said that her sister Rosalee was always the pretty one in the family, but Marian was quite a beauty herself. In 1942, her beauty caught the eye of her future husband Clifford Pillster. Their first meeting was on the school bus where he winked at her. When Marian was young, her mother arranged for her younger brother Stanley, and younger sister Rosalee to go with her on her first dates! Cliff and Marion went to the Soda Fountain in Gresham of Powell Blvd for their first date. They continued to take her younger siblings on dates to the movies, Blue Lake Park, and across Carver Bridge to Wilsada Park.

After High School she moved to the Lents area and lived with two friends that were a bit older than her. She took the bus downtown and worked at Montgomery Wards.

When Cliff first returned home from the military, he went to see Marian. She went to the basement of her parents’ home so he would have to come find her. This way they would have privacy so she could have a kiss!

On May 2, 1948 Clifford and Marian were married. Her sister-in-law, Edie recalls it being wonderful when Cliff started bringing Marian to their family home. She said that was because Marian was so beautiful. As time went on Marian became her helper, mentor, and friend. When she was young, she enjoyed going to the Boring Grange to dance and listen to music played by the local band. The local band consisted of Clifford on trombone, Mr. Ed Pillster on violin, Nina on Accordion, and Mrs. Tubbs on Piano. Cliff and Marian built a home on Wiese road and started their family. They had four children together: Janet, Kathleen, Larry, and Susan. Over the years they remodeled their family home a few times to accommodate their growing family.

It was important to her that her daughters knew how to look and act like a lady. She also shared her love of dance with her daughters by taking them to Tap, Ballet, and Jazz lessons.

She also taught her children to be honest, moral, kind, responsible, respectful, honorable, and polite.

Janet shared that they had a rich social life. They went on many trips to the beach that always included digging clams. She said that her mom knew how to have fun and play as well. She has a video of her mom running on the beach. That memory is emblazoned in her mind and heart. They also visited Friends and relatives quite often. The adults would play cards and the cousins would play. They also went camping often.

When it was hot in the summer, the family would go to Wilsada Park after their father would come home. They would put a picnic together and spend the evening until it was dark. Sometimes Cliff would decide to fish. If he chose an area that was unsafe for the kids, Marian would show her patience by just sitting in the car with them reading a book.

Their family hunting trips near Heppner with the Gillespie’s were a highlight for her every year as well. They would go up deer season and stay through elk season.

Marian loved being a homemaker and she endeavored to teach her children, then later her grandchildren how to thoroughly clean the house every Saturday. Janet remembers learning hospital corners on those Saturdays. Her granddaughters remember learning how to iron by helping her as well. You never went into her house without seeing her table with a fine table cloth and her Roosters decorating the table.

She spent hours preparing food from scratch and teaching her daughters how to cook as well. She also taught her daughters, daughter-in-law, and granddaughters how to use a canner and can pears, peaches, beans, and make pickles.

Growing up on a farm, it is no surprise that Marian had a green thumb. She had beautiful vegetable and flower gardens. She was used to hard work and spending a lot of time keeping up her yard and gardens. You would often find wax begonias in her garden.

She was also a very talented seamstress. She would make matching dresses for Kathy and Janet. She made prom, dresses, wedding dresses, bridesmaid dresses, and party dresses for Susan for years. There was no end to her talents. The dance instructor would tell Marian what she had in mind for a costume, most of the time there wasn’t even a pattern. She loved pretty dresses and blouses. You would often find her feeling the fabric of something her family was wearing that caught her eye.

For many years you would find her knitting Afghan’s in the evening. All family members had at least one Afghan in their home. Even the Great-Grand dog Pixie received an afghan!

Interior design was also something Marian also had talent in. When Cliff worked in construction and remodeling, Marian often helped select fixtures, lighting, paint, and appliances.

At one point Clifford told his daughter Janet that they were poor. It was hard to understand from her perspective. As children we did not feel that way. They never went without the basics and they made sure the kids got the very important wants. In 1963 Marian took Janet to Lerner’s Department Store at Eastport Plaza and purchased Janet her first prom dress for $25.00.

Marian and Cliff continued to go out dancing on Saturday nights when their children were growing older. Some of their favorite spots back in the day were Springers, Division Street Corral, China Hut, and M&M’s. They also continued to host card games and outdoor BBQ’s even after their children were grown. One favorite was Bunco. When she hosted, she would have her house packed with tables. Clear into 2019 she would be a substitute for Kathy and Lillian’s Bunco groups. Most times you could also find a puzzle out on the table to be worked.

Larry remembers that his mom had a real sweet tooth! There was always a drawer full of fresh baked cookies. Sugar and Snickerdoodles were the BEST! The difference between mom and dad, said Larry, “was that dad would put pepper on his cottage cheese, and mom would cover hers with sugar.” He definitely takes after his mom. The grandkids remember her always having cookies in her cookie jar, popsicles in the freezer, and bubble gum in the cupboard. It didn’t matter how quiet you were, she would always catch you getting in the cookie jar, said Josh. For Christmas it was a special treat to receive a tub of her Fantasy Fudge and Honey Comb Candy. There were always cinnamon rolls at hunting camp and if you were lucky you received Snicker Doodle cookies for a birthday gift or her special German Chocolate Cake.

Kathy said that her mother was intuitive. When she called from Germany to notify her mom that she had her first baby, Josh her mother replied that she knew. She said she woke up from sleeping and just knew the child had come. On other occasions, her mom would know something was wrong, sometimes before Kathy even knew. Kathy also loved how “calm” her mother always was as well as being good with babies. After she had Jody, Kathy stayed with her mom for a few days. When the baby wouldn’t stop crying and she didn’t know what to do for him anymore, her mom just came over and picked the baby up and took him over to where she was playing cards. The baby just calmed right down.

After the children were grown she was able to learn to play golf as well. She enjoyed the evenings on the Boring Golf Course with her husband. They were also part of a bowling group and would travel with friends and family for road trips.

Through the 80’s and 90’s Cliff and Marian really enjoyed following the NBA and Portland Trail Blazers. They would bring their dinner into the living room on their T.V. trays and watch a basketball game or other game shows that might be on.

Another hobby she had was collecting antiques. Sometimes she would spend days and weekends finding antique shows, and garage sales looking for Blue Ridge dishes among other pretty items to add to her collection.

She loved to play with her grandchildren and great grandchildren. You would often find her sitting on the floor playing games, putting together jigsaw puzzles, coloring, or reading books to the grandkids.

Marian also had a love for animals. Especially cats and dogs. She always seemed to have one in her lap or sitting at her feet.

Cliff and Marian were married over 50 years. Her husband meant everything to her and in return Cliff could never keep his hands off her. For their 50th Wedding Anniversary the family put together a party with their family and friends and also sent them to Maui with spending cash. Many family members joined them on this vacation. This was definitely a highlight in their lives. They loved Hawaii. Marian told Lillian on that trip that for the first time ever, she was able to go into her favorite dress store there and pick out a dress without checking the price first and “counting pennies.”

Marian spent the last 14 years of her life with Alzheimer’s. Physically this did not slow her down much! She kept active and wanted to mow her lawns clear into her 80’s. She liked to keep busy. Often times after a meal you would see her doing the dishes no matter whose house you were in.

Larry and Lillian remember her coming to family Holidays, Birthdays and outings fondly. She even went camping with them a few times. One time when they were at the coast and she got up in the middle of the night to go to the restroom and fainted. They had to go get Dr. Russ from a few spaces down to help. She said after that, she would never drink with them again! A few years ago they took her to her Granddaughter Toni’s house in Heppner for Thanksgiving. She didn’t recognize the area that she was in and asked Larry, “Are you sure we have family over here?” Once she was there, she recognized the house and decided she was going to go hunting in the mountains. So they took her up to her and Cliff’s old hunting spot and built a campfire. She walked all over that day with her walker in the snow and loved it!

She liked to “escape” her house out her back door and walk down Wiese Road to Larry’s house as soon as the caregiver would turn her back. She would just show up on the front step. She did this a lot in the summertime. Most days she would be able to just sit in the sun and watch the Great Grandkids play for hours. She really enjoyed just watching the kids play. When she couldn’t remember names anymore, there was always one that she remembered. She never forgot Henry’s!

A couple of weeks before Marian passed, Larry took her out in her wheelchair to look at her garden to look around and go for a walk. He parked in front of the flower bed and next thing he knew she was bent in half nearly falling out of her chair picking weeds!

Marian’s mother Violet also lived with Alzheimer’s. Marian moved her into her house and took care of her for as long as she could so she didn’t have to mover her into a nursing home. It was always important to Marian that she would be able to stay in her own house as well and not be moved into a nursing home. With the help of Caregivers, she was able to stay in her home to live until she passed away peacefully on July 5, 2021 at the age of 92.