Margaret J. Gipple

GIPPLE, ANDERSON, KELSEY, HALL

Posted By: Skipton
Date: 4/13/2011 at 22:33:24

Margaret J. Gipple, age 75, of Wayne, NJ, died March 29, 2011, at the Chilton Memorial Hospital in Pompton Plains, NJ.

The daughter of Glenn Anderson and Hazel (Kelsey) Anderson, Margaret was born in Ainsworth, Iowa, on July 28, 1935. Raised in southeastern Iowa, she graduated from Crawfordsville High School in May 1953, and from Mercy School of Nursing in Iowa City with a RN degree in 1956. On September 9, 1956, she married Craig Alden Gipple of Wyman, Iowa.

She worked at the University of Iowa Hospital in Orthopedics, until her first son was born. Then she stopped working “in order to grow up with her kids,” which she did by staying involved and supporting their various activities as they also grew.

While married and raising two sons, Margaret moved her family 14 times, due to Craig’s military and position with AT&T. She was personally active and supportive in her role as an AT&T officer’s wife. In each city where they lived, Margaret enjoyed being a church schoolteacher at the United Methodist Churches along the way.

Once moving to Franklin Lakes in 1969, Margaret found herself serving as Church School Superintendent at the Franklin Lakes United Methodist Church for many years in the 1970s and early 80s, responsible for enrollments of around 120 children. She was also very involved with her sons and their Cub Scout activities, serving as a Cub Scout Den leader for six years, and eventually the District Cub Scout Den Leader Trainer for the Ramapo District in Bergen County for four years.

Margaret and her husband, Craig were founding board members of the local summer youth theatre group, OnStage Inc. Through her sons’ dramatic activities at Ramapo High School in Franklin Lakes, she had found a new vocation designing, sewing and running costumes for area high school productions. This is a role she enjoyed and continued for twenty-five years with OnStage, serving as costume chairperson for many of the summer shows.

Survivors include her husband, Craig Gipple of Wayne, NJ; her sons, Douglas Gipple of Mahwah, NJ, and Daniel Gipple of Harpsden, England, along with his wife, Catharine; and her two grandsons, Samuel and Joseph, also of Harpsden. She is also survived by a sister, Mary Hall of Iowa City, Iowa, and her brother, John Anderson of Pierre, North Dakota.

Local funeral services will be held Saturday, April 9, 2011 at 10:30 a.m. from the Spring Run United Methodist Church, rural Columbus Junction, with Rev. Nancy Bender officiating; interment will follow at the Columbus City Cemetery.

Friends may call on Friday from 5-7:00 p.m. at the Honts Funeral Home in Winfield, where the family will receive friends at this time.

In lieu of flowers a memorial in her name has been established for the Spring Run United Methodist Church.