Ancestral History: Life Sketch of Mary Margaret (Shelley) Marble

(Mary Margaret, age: unknown) 

Mary Margaret Shelley, granddaughter of James E. and Margaret Hunter Shelley was born at home to George Elsmore and Margaret Cleo Butler Shelley on January 8^th 1932 in Joseph City, Arizona. She was the 8^th of 10 children. Her oldest brother Lester passed away at the age of 4 so she never knew him but talked fairly often of him to her children.

    In 1937 at the age of five, Mary started grade school in Joseph City.  She graduated from the 8^th grade in May 1945.  In January 1949 she was chosen Queen of the Gold & Green Ball for her most perfect record among the girls of the organization. Shortly after she graduated from Holbrook High School on May 27, 1949.

·         A month after being chosen Gold & Green Ball Queen she won the prize waltz at a Rose Prom.

·         She was a scribe several times for patriarchal blessings given by Patriarch Joseph L. Petersen.

·         She was a member of the Holbrook Drum and Bugle Corp which won several prizes.

    At the age of 17 a lock of hair in her bangs turned white without explanation and was that way for the remainder of her life. She worked at various jobs until she decided to take a teletype course. On October 1, 1951 after she had completed the course she landed her first real job working as a teletype operator for Western Union Telegraph Company in Winslow, Arizona. They sent her to Blythe, California and then consecutively to Prescott, Flagstaff and then Winslow, Arizona

Her father suffered a stroke shortly after he and her mother were married and was disabled for the remainder of his life until he passed away from an unidentified illness when Mary was 20 years old. 

    At the age of 21, while working for Western Union in Winslow, her roommate, Mary Marble introduced her to her brother Wesley Elbert Marble. They were married October 6, 1953 in the Mesa, Arizona Temple when she herself, became Mary Marble. After they were married they lived in Eagar, Scottsdale, Showlow, Snowflake, Joseph City, Heber and then back to Joseph City.

    During the first four years of their marriage, Mary conceived and miscarried twice. She was told by her doctor that she would never be able to bear children. God had something else in mind though because contrary to that prediction, Mary gave birth to her first child Gaylene on June 20, 1957. Gaylene was followed by Gordon on October 11, 1958. Kristine was born on November 4, 1959, Diana came on June 28, 1961 (my mother), Sandra was next on November 26, 1962 and Sheri came on July 20, 1964. Mary became pregnant sometime shortly thereafter, but the baby died in her womb but did not abort. As a result, Mary became very ill and was unable to take care of her children for several days so Wesley farmed them out to relatives because he had to continue to work while she went into the hospital for a D and C.

    Mary and Wesley moved their family to Brigham City, Utah in 1975. Her daughter Gaylene was married and lived on McLaws Road near Joseph City. Gordon remained in Joseph City and roomed with friends from High School. Kristine, Diana, Sandra and Sheri remained with them and attended Box Elder High School. Sheri was in Junior High the year they moved to Brigham City.

    Mary and Wesley had 3 children on LDS missions at the same time. Gordon, who later moved to Brigham City with their cousin Doran, was amongst those 3 missionaries.

    Gaylene divorced, remarried and then had her second marriage annulled. She then moved to Brigham City a couple of years after the family moved to Brigham City.

    Diana met Greg Isham after moving to Arizona after High School.  They were married in the Salt Lake LDS Temple on Wesley’s birthday, August 16, 1980. Mary saw the births of her first two grandchildren, Gordon Paul and Sarah Anne Isham (these are my oldest two siblings). Kristine met and shortly after married Jeff Johnson on May 27, 1983, a year to the day when Mary passed away. Gordon met Helen on his mission in Oakland, California. They were married on June 10, 1983. Both marriages were solemnized in the Salt Lake Temple.  She suffered a massive heart attack and passed away on Memorial Day March 27, 1984. It was a day after she grieved over a neighbor whose son was brutally murdered. She was 52 years of age.