Funeral homes often submit obituaries as a service to the families they are assisting. However, we will be happy to accept obituaries from family members pending proper verification of the death.
Dec. 19, 2020, Edith Marjorie “Marge” Wells Magnusen, beloved wife, mother and grandmother, passed away of natural causes in Tualatin, Ore., and went to be with our Lord at the age of 97 years and 5 months. She was born in Hood River, Ore., on July 15, 1923, to Walter and Beatrice (Gowlan) Wells.
She graduated from Hood River High School, where she met and married the love of her life, Lorn Magnusen, on March 23, 1942, at the Pine Grove Methodist Church. Shortly after getting married, Lorn joined the Army, and spent time in Paris, Texas, before being shipped overseas. Marge spent the war years in the Palm Springs area with her mother, until Lorn came home, and during that time they fell in love with desert living. Following the war, they moved to Ontario, Calif., where they cared for her invalid mother for several years. They returned to Hood River to build Walter Wells & Sons with her father and her two brothers, Gowlan and Bill Wells. Marge worked in the business during harvest season.
She was a good farm girl. She could can everything in sight, made jam, huge pies, and countless delicious Sunday dinners that were in the oven when we got home from church. She could wallpaper, paint, make curtains, garden, designed the remodel of their home, and sewed many clothing items for herself and her daughters. Marge was active in the community as a Camp Fire leader, 4-H leader, Sunday School teacher and was a decades long member of the Aloha Club in Pine Grove. Marge was involved in Home Extension, and in the women’s sorority group Beta Sigma Phi. She was a member of the Valley Christian Church in Hood River for more than 50 years. She loved to sing, played the piano, and sang in the church choir for many years.
Marge loved to entertain guests in their home with a beautifully set table, where lively conversations and laughter were always on the menu. Marge also loved to play cards and spent many hours with friends and family beating their socks off.
When she and Lorn retired, they split the year between Palm Desert and Hood River. They were both avid golfers and spent many hours volunteering at the various PGA tournaments in the Palm Springs area. They were skilled and enthusiastic ballroom dancers and never missed a chance to “cut a rug.“
After Lorn passed away in 2002, Marge eventually moved to Down Manor in Hood River, and enjoyed her life there until it was time to move near her daughters in the Portland metro area.
Marge and Lorn raised three daughters, Vicki Cain (Lewis, deceased), Jan Bender (Bud) and Debbie Altenhofen (Dan). She is survived by her daughters, five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, the most recent of which was born on Dec. 2, 2020. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews.
With a grateful heart, the family extends its greatest appreciation to Legacy Hospice Services for their support and care during Marge’s last days.
A service will be planned in the future when the ability to gather is less restricted. In lieu of flowers, the family would suggest memorials to the Hood River Valley Christian Church or Legacy Hospice Services. Arrangements are under the direction of Anderson's Tribute Center (Funerals • Receptions • Cremations), 1401 Belmont Ave., Hood River. Visit www.AndersonsTributeCenter.com to leave a note of condolence
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PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
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