St. Clair County Obits

MARY MARCIA ESDERTS

Clinton Daily Democrat
24 October 2003
Mary Marcia Esderts - Avidgardener, pecan hunter, daughter, dedicated mother and friend, she was born Mary Marcia Ambrose on September 10, 1925, as an only child to Tom and Adel (Ehlen) Ambrose in Kansas City. She fell asleep in death September 27, 2003.
Marcia lived her early years in Kansas City and Miller County. In the early 1930s, the young Ambrose family had a Midwest-to-California dust bowl trek with highlights including orange-blossom scented air, horses and her aunt's cattle ranch. Her father would long tell stories of Marcia being one of the ranch hand's favorite lasso targets. Returning to Missouri she was enrolled in the Iberia Academy from which she was graduated and Drury School of Business in Kansas City. Working most of her career for the federal government she traveled to Berlin, Germany, at the end of World War Ii with the military occupation forces as a civilian contractor from 1946-1948. Being there during the blockade she remembered watching the famous "candy drops" from American aircraft bringing in supplies. This is where she met and married her husband William J. Esderts in 1948. From this union came two daughters, Yvonne and Joyce.
The family moved with the military for a few years. Coming back to Missouri as a single mother she settled her children with her parents on their farm between Lowry City and Osceola. She worked in Kansas City for various federal agencies such as Social Security, EPA and the Corps of Engineers coming home to the farm every weekend for many years to spend as much time as possible with her daughters. She retired in 1980 to share a home with her mother in Clinton until Adel's death in 1989. Together they enjoyed quilting, gardening, canning, as well as traveling to see children and grandchildren.
Marcia spent many volunteer hours with the Bloodmobile, reading with elementary students at the Catholic School, secretary to the local chapter of the National Association of Retired Federal Employees and the Church of the Brethren outside of Osceola. The week before her death she traveled to the Denver area for her only granddaughter's wedding. She enjoyed herself immensley while spending time with all of her grandchildren and attending the wedding. Following a short respiratory crisis she passed away peacefully with both daughters and son-in-law, Richard, at her side.
Marcia is survived by daughter Yvonne, her husband Richard Gilstrap and their children Christopher and wife Heather and Amy and husband Gabriel Guy, all of Denver, Colorado area, and daughter Joyce, her husband Bill Rupp and their sons Thomas and Michael from Orcas Island, Washington. She also leaves numerous cousins and friends throughout the area. - She died Saturday, September 27, 2003, at Aurora Medication Center, Aurora, Colorado.
Funeral services were Thursday, October 2, at Sheldon-Goodrich Funeral Home, Osceola. Burial in Pleasant Mound Cemetery, Osceola.