Buirl Constance (Gill) Thomsen Sept. 15, 1926-April 12, 2017


Buirl Constance (Gill) Thomsen

          Our Mother, Buirl Constance (Gill) Thomsen, born on Sept. 15, 1926 to Thelma and Christopher Gill in a small farm house near Buckhorn, Iowa, died April 12, 2017 at the age of 90 at The Good Neighbor Home in Manchester, Iowa. Graveside services will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 13, 2017, at Oakland Cemetery in Manchester, followed by a “Celebration of Life” at the First Lutheran Church in Manchester, at 11:30 a.m.

      As a teen, Mom stayed with a neighbor, cleaned house and babysat during her high school years. Although she did not finish school, she got her GED at around the age of 54. She met and married our dad, Marvin L. Thomsen, in December of 1944. Mom was a housewife and mother on the farm for over 30 years. She raised five children, Peggy, Norma, Marvin Jr., Marc and Vicky. She spent many of her days sending us children off to school, Sunday School, 4-H, Bible class, confirmation, swimming lessons, school activities; all the while preoccupied with baking, canning, sewing and serving coffee and dessert to anyone who came to visit. Her home was a constant bustle of activity.

     Later in life she loved playing cards or games like Upwards, Canasta, and Mexican Train while continuing to run errands for our Dad. She was an active 4-H leader and camp counselor, judge at the local fair, and along with Dad, very active as a member of the Farm Bureau. She had rheumatoid arthritis and asthma but never let that interfere with her life. Her energy level never failed to amaze her children. She built a wooden fence around the yard when she was tired of the pigs getting into her huge garden and her beautiful flowerbeds.

     After retirement from the farm and moving to town, she volunteered at Camp Courageous, enjoyed going to many garage sales and sewed dozens of quilts. After Dad passed away, Mom bought herself a computer and started researching her family genealogy. She traced our roots back as far as the Salem Witch hangings. She spent hours and hours at her personal computer, one day, even forgetting to eat. She was a proud member of the Lutheran Church and volunteered for preparation of services, was a greeter, helped clean up, helped with the bulletins and many other activities there. 

     Survivors include, Peggy Wilson (Larry) of Wrangle, Alaska, Norma Michels (Richard) of Sequim, Wash., Marc Thomsen (Pat) and Vicky Murphy, all of Port Angeles, Wash. Also surviving are 12 grandchildren, 23 great-grandchildren and nine great-great-grandchildren.

     Mom was preceded in death by her husband, Marvin; her son, Marvin Jr.; her parents; her brother, Jimmie; her sister, Janette; a son-in-law, Wayne; and her grandson, Chad.

     Please share a memory of Buirl at www.murdochfuneralhome.com under obituaries.

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