Marjorie Moree Gilman

April 12, 1922 ~ December 23, 2011

Monterey ~ Marjorie Gilman passed away peacefully in her home on December 23. Marjorie was born April 12, 1922 in Salt Lake City, Utah, the daughter of Lucille and Robert Jellison. Marjorie’s grandmothers lived in Belleville, Kansas, and nearly every summer, Marjorie’s mother would drive the 1500 miles from Salt Lake to Belleville so that Marjorie and her brother Robert could enjoy the family houses and farms.

Marjorie graduated as class president of Rowland Hall Episcopal Girls School in Salt Lake City. She earned a degree in sociology from the University of Utah, and received a scholarship to Mills College in Oakland, CA where she studied occupational therapy. After graduating from Mills College, Marjorie served in the American Red Cross Medical Corps at Fort Lawton Station in Puget Sound, Washington. As a medical social worker, she aided injured veterans who were returning from action in World War II. After her service, she went through training in Los Angeles to become a Welcome Wagon Hostess.

In 1947, at the age of 25, Marjorie married Jack Andrews from Salt Lake, who had returned home after serving as a pilot in World War II. Sadly, Jack died of a coronary occlusion in 1948. A widow at 26, the next few years were difficult for Marjorie, but she kept busy working and traveling. In 1953, Marjorie and a friend attended the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in England and toured Europe for four months.

In 1954, while working as Catering Secretary for the Hotel Newhouse in Salt Lake, she was invited to dinner by friends where she met another guest, Spencer Stuart Gilman. Spencer had served in World War II and the Korean War as a bombardier and was working in Salt Lake City. They married four months after their first date. The couple moved to the San Francisco Bay Area where they raised their sons, Scott and Tobin.

After the boys went off to college, Marjorie and Spencer moved to Carmel, CA. In 2006, two years after Spencer passed away, Marjorie moved to the Park Lane in Monterey, CA. Always cheerful and compassionate, she brought a smile to all who knew her.

Marjorie is survived by her sons, Scott and Tobin (Dee) and her grandchildren, Deanne and Robert. A memorial service will be held at the Park Lane, 200 Glenwood Circle in Monterey, CA, this Friday, December 30 at 3:00 PM. The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the American Cancer Society, 945 S. Main, Ste. 201, Salinas, CA, 93901. Arrangements under the direction of The Paul Mortuary, Pacific Grove, CA.