Thelma M. Gorrell

Thelma (Marie) Nilsen Gorrell went home to her Savior on March 24, 2018 at the age of 92 at her daughter’s home in Caldwell, Idaho. Born on January 29, 1926 to Arthur Nathaniel and Agnes (Lundquist) Nilsen in Turlock, California, she was the middle child of nine and was the oldest girl. She graduated from Stockton High School in 1944.
Thelma worked at various jobs after high school. She attended Westminster Presbyterian Church and was active in the Christian Endeavor Society where she met George Joseph Gorrell. They were married October 6, 1951 in Sacramento.
The happy couple lived in North Highlands, California their entire life together. They had five children – four boys and one girl. They were early members of St. Stephen’s Presbyterian Church in North Highlands, where Thelma was church bookkeeper and sang in the choir over fifty years.
Thelma was recruited and became the bookkeeper of the Presbyterian “Synod of the Pacific” office in Sacramento in 1970. She worked there until her retirement in 1989.
Thelma and George camped and traveled in their motor home for many years. She loved opera and classical music, attending the symphony and opera in Sacramento and sometimes San Francisco. She enjoyed sewing, making many dresses for her daughter and granddaughters. Thelma was also an avid reader and pie baker.
Family was very important to Thelma, and the couple attended many Nilsen family reunions and enjoyed regular visits with her siblings and their families.
George passed away in 2011, just seven months shy of their 60th anniversary. Thelma moved to Caldwell, Idaho in 2013 to live with daughter Sylvia and husband Kent Marmon. She was a member of Caldwell Presbyterian Church, EPC.
Thelma will be missed by many who knew and loved her for her caring ways, sweet disposition and beautiful smile. She is survived by her five children: Norman (Lisa) of Martinez, CA; Stanley (Valerie) of Grass Valley, CA; Allen (Joyce) of East Nicolaus, CA; Sylvia (Kent) Marmon of Caldwell, ID; and Brian (Linda Paoli) of Sacramento. She is also survived by one sister, Bernice (Dean) Hopkins of Elk Grove, CA; one step-sister, Dolores (Robert) Pearson of Champaign, IL; 11 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.
A celebration of Thelma’s life will be held on April 28, 2018 at 11:00 AM at Caldwell Presbyterian Church, EPC, 603 Everett St, Caldwell, ID 83605. A light lunch will follow in the Fellowship Hall.
In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be given to Caldwell Presbyterian Church or any local charity.
   

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