"I want to stowaway on the last freight train to meet my husband in hobo heaven," our "GG" would tell her family.
Marian MacKay Nielson was born December 2, 1927 to George Washington MacKay and Florence Fox in Salt Lake City, Utah; the fifth of six sisters. She passed away, at age 91, in St. George, Utah on May 23, 2019. Her husband Roderick Martin Nielson and son Rocky preceded her in death. She is survived by her sister Kathryn Jones and her sons Rand (Anne Marie), Ryan (Lauri), Ron (Kathleen); 18 grandchildren and 37 great-grandchildren.
Marian was a rabble-rouser, magnetic red-head with an unparalleled generous spirit. She did not disappoint in sharing her passion for life and spunky sense of humor. She would jump and ride the boxcars from Grand Junction, Colorado to Salt Lake City with her lifelong sweetheart. She would jet set and rub elbows with the likes of Liberace, Tanya Tucker and Glen Campbell. She would have bridge parties with the neighbors and complain they were only playing with pennies instead of quarters. She would march her four boys (and nephew Mitchell, when he was with her) from their home in Canyon Rim to Sugarhouse Park, while singing "Seventy-six Trombones" from The Music Man, just to keep them busy.
She was a microbiologist for Fisher Brewing Corp., a real estate sales rep for Wardley, a dishwasher at the old Lamplighter restaurant, but spent most of her working life raising purebred dogs- first, poodles, then maltese and later yorkies, also occasionally breeding pet rocks.
Marian was a lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served for many years alongside her husband in the Salt Lake Temple. A member of The Daughters of Utah Pioneers, she cherished her heritage, in particular her grandmother Ruth May Fox, a poet, hymn writer and women's rights activist.
In addition to raising her own wolfpack of boys and living to tell the tales, Marian's family remembers her for: never missing a birthday or Christmas card; an unending love for small dogs; an appreciation for a well done manicure and hair; a near-obsessive love of family pictures and collecting keepsakes as her treasures; and a penchant for a bit of friendly gossip.
Her 90th birthday party was a family reunion that is a cherished and joyful memory. Her heavenly reunion with Rod, her husband, and her first born Rocky will be very sweet. She was loved dearly and will be missed immensely. She left behind a motley crew of progeny now living coast-to-coast and in between. We have shared some great times. She had some great stories, and let's be honest, some really great legs.
Carry on, our beloved GG, "Carry on, Carry on, Carry on!"
Funeral services will be June 4, 2019 at 10:00 am (9:00 am viewing) in the Eighteen North Ward building located at 135 A Street, Salt Lake City, Utah 84103. A public viewing with family and friends will be held on Monday evening, June 3, 2019, from 6:00-8:00 pm at Larkin Mortuary, 260 East South Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84111.
