Marilyn Ann Gilsoul (1935 - 2023)

Born 1 Oct 1935 in International Falls, Koochiching, Minnesota, United States

Ancestors

Wife of Wilford Edmond Parnell — married 1954 (to about 1967) in Somerset, St. Croix, Wisconsin, United States

Descendants

Died 10 Dec 2023 at age 88 in North Saint Paul, Ramsey, Minnesota, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Cliff Parnell [send private message]

Biography

Marilyn was born in International Falls, Minnesota on October 1st, 1935, the first child of parents Clifford Gilsoul and Evelyn (Carrier).^[1] International Falls is located on the Canadian border, and claims to be the inspiration for the fictional cartoon home of "Rocky & Bullwinkle", the town of "Frostbite Falls, Minnesota". "The Falls" (as it's known locally) was home to a large paper mill that was the largest employer in town, and at one time was the largest employer in Minnesota. Marilyn's dad Cliff worked at the mill, operating a large steam crane that would move and stack the huge pulpwood logs harvested from the nearby north-woods.

The 1940 United States census shows 5 year old Marilyn living in the Gilsoul home in International Falls.^[2]

The family moved to Richmond, Virginia during WWII, while Cliff was stationed at the nearby Navy base. He served with the "Fighting Sea-Bees", using his work skills as a crane operator to help build runways in the south Pacific.

In about 1947, the Gilsoul family bought a farm in western Wisconsin, near the village of Somerset.

The 1950 United States census finds 14 year old Marilyn living on the Gilsoul farm.^[3] She was the oldest child, and did her share of work both inside and out. She helped with domestic chores and child care, but also collected & candled eggs, helped plant trees, fed the pigs, and even drove the tractor.

Tragedy struck the Gilsoul farm home in 1952, when Marilyn was a senior in high school. A fire caused extensive damage to their farmhouse. Marilyn's mom Evelyn was home with two of the younger children at the time, while the others were in school. Mrs Gilsoul heard a noise coming from upstairs and went up to investigate, where she saw the fire coming from inside the attic. The children were quickly gotten outside and she called the fire department. The cause was most likely faulty wiring.^[4] The family was taken in by friends and neighbors while the home underwent repairs.

Marilyn was educated at St Anne's Catholic school and then Somerset public high school, where she graduated in 1953.

Marilyn married Wilford Parnell in 1954. They resided in Somerset while Wil attended college in River Falls, then moved to Kenosha, Wisconsin for his first teaching assignment. The couple had 4 sons. The marriage ended with a divorce in 1967.

On June 12th, 1968, she married Pete Johansen. Pete's work assignments took them to different locations, and during this period they lived in Euclid, Ohio, Des Plaines, Illinois, Dallas, Texas, Tulsa, Oklahoma, and White Bear Lake, Minnesota. Marilyn and Pete divorced in 1993.

At some point in the 1990s, Marilyn legally reclaimed her maiden name, Gilsoul, which she kept for the remainder of her life.

She was an award-winning and prolific quilter, having created over 100 works in her lifetime, 95 % of which she gave away as gifts. Most family members and many friends have at least one of her quilts. Gardening, baking, travel, reading were some of her other pastimes. Marilyn also donated time to deliver "meals on wheels", and for a few years she was a foster mom for babies waiting to be adopted. In later life, she provided volunteer respite care for families with a parent living with Alzheimer’s disease.

Marilyn suffered a Hemorrhagic Stroke in July of 2004, and slowly recovered most of the way back to normalcy. The final 2 decades of her life were marked with a series of additional incidents that progressively took a toll on her quality of life. She lived in several senior housing residences, from independent living, to assisted care, and finally to "memory care" in 2020, while the Covid 19 pandemic was in full swing.

Marilyn Gilsoul passed away quietly in her sleep on December 10, 2023. Her age at death was 88 yrs, 2 months, 9 days.

Research Notes

• This profile is a work in process, I will be adding many more details.
• Her siblings: Evelyn Rose (Ev), Anthony (Tony), Kathleen Ida (Kathy or Kate), Jerome (Jerry), Laurence Patrick (Pat).
• States she lived in: Minnesota, Virginia, Wisconsin, Ohio, Illinois, Texas, Oklahoma, Florida.

Sources

1. ↑ "Minnesota Birth Index, 1935-2002," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VCPG-JHH : 6 May 2014), Marilym Ann Gilsoul, 01 Oct 1935; from "Minnesota Birth Index, 1935-2002," database, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2004); citing Koochiching, Minnesota, United States, Minnesota Department of Health, Minneapolis.
2. ↑ "United States Census, 1940", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KSL7-5HS : Tue Nov 28 16:28:42 UTC 2023), Entry for Clifford Gilsaul and Evelyn Gilsaul, 1940.
3. ↑ "United States 1950 Census", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6FMR-YL95 : Thu Oct 05 01:32:19 UTC 2023), Entry for Clifford A Gilsoul and Evelyn M Gilsoul, Apr 29, 1950.
4. ↑ (Hudson Star-Observer Apr 1952)

• First-hand information entered by son Cliff Parnell.
• FamilySearch profile for reference, may contain errors. https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/GCJW-W7F
• Online obituary https://www.tributearchive.com/obituaries/30126705/marilyn-a-gilsoul
• Online obituary https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/twincities/name/marilyn-gilsoul-obituary?id=53861988