Maggie Arianna Gresseth

Maggie was an exuberant, generous, and loving woman who will be missed and kept in the memories of many family members and friends.
Her childhood days were filled with the happy bustle of playing and growing with her siblings Delia, Hilary, Curt, and Cissy, often building elaborate Barbie houses only to have Curt and the neighborhood boys come bounding through, changing the play into a chase. She collected and cared for every kind of stuffed animal and loved discovering how her mother arranged them in different scenes each day on her bed, sometimes her real cats among them. She was surrounded by close and caring friends: Brandi, Robyn, Amy, and many others. She was known for her drawings at a young age, winning drawing contests, and regularly drew animal pictures for her friends. She enjoyed helping her mom (Marian) and dad (Gerald), and always did the weekly shopping by dad’s side.

She was known for being a great beauty. Boys, then later men, were always trying to catch her eye. Some were lucky to have her affection and love. But her greatest beauty was her kindness. From an early age and throughout her life she was gifted with deep compassion. She felt complete when she was helping others, even when she wasn’t feeling well and had limited physical energy. She cooked the Thanksgiving meals, fussed over getting just the perfect gift for the children in her life, was a devoted caregiver for her mother, and so much more. She cared deeply for those that couldn’t care for themselves: she was a strong animal rights activist, was a vegetarian for many years, and even wouldn’t pop balloons in her youth (as they had to die a natural death 😊).

Maggie thrived at the University of Utah, socially and academically. She brought the fun to friendships and parties - sharing and growing with Ivan, Corinne, Paul, and many other good friends. She graduated in Health Education and taught health classes to young adults. She spoke French and traveled to school in Switzerland. Whether in Switzerland, Utah, or Washington state, she loved hiking. During her years living in Seattle, she often hiked Mount Si and Mount Rainier with her sister Cissy, brother-in-law Ed, and her many friends. She made a beautiful life in Seattle, living on the Puget Sound near Golden Gardens and enjoying her work at Microsoft.

Even though Maggie’s last years were smaller in scope in some ways, her expansive imagination and connection with people allowed her to live a large life. She had always been known for her creativity, and she expressed it each day through cuisine. Over time, she learned rare and beautiful cooking traditions and techniques from around the world. To that, she added her own ideas and inventions, creating great culinary experiences, often exclusively for the benefit of those she loved. She kept an active and happy social life with Kate next door. They shared the same, rare sense of humor, keeping each other laughing about daily life and helping each other through any struggles.

Maggie’s passing was quiet at her home, just as she would’ve wanted. She is survived and remembered by her mother Marian Gresseth, her siblings Delia Reece, Hilary Valencia, Curt Gresseth, and Cecily Novak, her nieces and nephews Ivan Tucker, Darren, and Angelica Valencia, and Hayden and Max Novak, as well as many other family members and devoted friends.