Margaret Ann Shepherd Wickel passed away on March 20, 2024 in Holladay, Utah, on what would have been her 71st wedding anniversary. Almost 93 years old, and a widow for 23 years, she had quite a romantic celebration in heaven!
Margaret was born in Salt Lake City on June 6,1931, to Rex and Nellie Shepherd. She loved spending fun times with her four siblings Mary, Pat, Joan, and Rex. Many times Margaret chose to walk to the Garden Park Ward on her own and stayed active in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints all her life.
She met her tall, handsome sweetheart, Dick Wickel, while attending a speech class at the University of Utah. They married four years later on March 20,1953 in her family home. She was a Delta Delta Delta (Tri Delt) and graduated with a degree in Education. Margaret was a dedicated elementary school teacher while Dick finished his last year of college.
Dick’s masters degree in Public Health and Hospital Administration took them to UC Berkeley, California, where she taught school in San Rafael, Berkeley, and San Diego, CA, before settling down in the Oakland Hills. She loved teaching kids to read and enjoyed the diversity in California. She moved on from teaching school to focusing on raising their four daughters.
While enjoying motherhood, Margaret fulfilled many church callings, spending four years as a Primary President, four years as Young Womens President, four years as an early morning Seminary Teacher, and two years as Relief Society President for the Laotian Branch in Oakland– quite a meaningful experience!
When the girls got older, Margaret worked as a bookkeeper for Tom Dejonghe in Orinda, California, and enjoyed that job for 27 years. She retired at 83 years of age! She was able to travel to Hungary, England, Alaska, Mexico, and Hawaii before Dick passed away in 2001. After 67 years in California, she moved back to Utah to live with her daughter Cindy in 2021.
Margaret was smart, quick witted, and opinionated. Her passions included gardening, sewing, crafts, hosting many church-related dinner parties, teaching Relief Society, and Mother Education classes, writing roadshows, song lyrics and poetry, photography, Christmas cards, scrapbooking, making freezer jam with grandkids, reading for her book groups and her beloved daily newspapers. She loved her chocolate, even though it made her sneeze, and had a sweet tooth to her last day.
She is survived by her brother Rex Shepherd, four daughters Debbie Guggisberg (Dave), Marcia Christiansen (Chris) Cindy Christensen (Adam) Barbara Ellis,15 grandkids and 16 great-grandkids.
Funeral services will be held on Saturday March 30, 2024, 11:00 am at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints 5450 S Holladay Blvd Holladay, Utah. Family and friends are invited to the viewing at 10:00 am-10:45 am. She will be interred at Wasatch Lawn next to her husband.
Services may be watched online at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/@holladay27thward15
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