Gwen Anglesey Marcyes

Gwen Anglesey Marcyes, 85, passed away peacefully at home in Rupert, ID, the morning of Sept 5th 2022, after a brief battle with cancer. She was born on June 1st, 1937, the sixth of seven children to Rulon and Mary Anglesey in the little town of Rigby, Idaho. She had brown eyes and red hair, like her mother’s; however, Gwen’s hair later darkened into a lovely dark brown, like her father’s. Her father was at that time the bishop of their little ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and he blessed their little girl on the 4th of July that same year. Gwen was baptized on June 30th, 1945 and confirmed a member of the Church the next day, July 1st, also by her father.

The family worked hard farming, building, and sewing to maintain their little home. In one room three little girls slept on one bed and the four boys on another. Gwen became a skilled seamstress and developed a deft hand at crochet, a talent which carried on through adulthood. There was rarely a baby within her extended family or community who was not given one of Gwen’s expertly woven quilts. She took tap dancing lessons in grade school and was always proud of the prestigious awards she earned in her church’s Young Women’s program.

When Gwen was 12 years-old, she saved her sister’s little boy from drowning. Later she was issued a Certificate of Merit by the American National Red Cross, signed by President Harry S. Truman. It read, “in recognition of services rendered on July 11, 1949 when she rescued Richard Bryce from drowning in the Labell canal.”

Although the family would always miss their beloved Idaho, it was hard to make a living. The older children moved away, one by one, so when Gwen was a teenager, the family moved to California. Gwen would then graduate from Grant Union High School in Sacramento, CA, 1955.

Later, Gwen would make family history by becoming their first female progeny to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Sister Anglesey was called to serve in the Alaskan-Canadian Region Mission from Sept 21, 1961 – May 21, 1963, much of which time she spent in Vancouver, B.C.

After her mission, Gwen returned home to Sacramento where she was eventually introduced by her brother, Ben, to the love of her life, Ronald Marcyes. On Jan 27th, 1968, they became an instant family when Gwen married Ron and adopted his small son, Michael, from a previous marriage. The three of them were sealed for time and eternity in the Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 2nd, 1971. Ron and Gwen were later blessed with the birth of a son, Jesse, and a daughter, Janae.

The family lived primarily in California for most of their marriage, until Gwen was finally able to return to her native Idaho with her husband in early 2012. Sadly, her beloved husband of 44 years, Ronald Marcyes, passed away later that same year. Shortly after that, Gwen moved back in with her first roommate, sister, and best friend, Marilyn Eskelsen Hunsaker. The two have peacefully lived together in love and friendship for the past few years.

Gwen is survived by two siblings, Marilyn Eskelsen Hunsaker and Phillip Anglesey, three children, Michael Lynn Marcyes, Jesse LaVern Marcyes, and Janae Marcyes Berry, six grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held 11:00 a.m. Saturday, September 10, 2022 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Rupert 1st Ward 806 G Street Rupert, Idaho with a viewing at 10:00 a.m. at the church.  Burial will follow at the Rupert Cemetery.  Services are under the direction of the Joel Heward Hansen Mortuary.

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