Elsie Jean Thackeray

One of the greatest individuals one could ever know has left the world to fight for right on the other side. Elsie Jean Gale Thackeray was born on January 7, 1936 in Durango Colorado to James Marlin Gale and Evelyn Slade. She wed William J. Thackeray on September 20, 1955 in Logan, Utah. Elsie left this earthly existence surrounded by her loving family on April 18, 2011, after she courageously faced the challenges of terminal lung cancer. She was preceded in death by one grandson and one great-grandson. Elsie loved beautiful Scott Valley, which she called home for more than fifty years. Her many talents contributed greatly to this community. From playing piano for the Etna Elementary music program to serving the elderly for the Meals on Wheels organization, Elsie was always serving others and touching lives with love and charity. Of Elsie’s many treasured accomplishments, none was more important to her than her family. She was an excellent example of a woman with a mother heart as well as a supportive and caring spouse; she spent a lifetime in devotion to each member of her family. Also, it is widely known that Elsie conveyed to others how important and loved they were, and you couldn’t help but smile and share a laugh with her whenever she was around. Her extraordinary love, vitality and sense of humor have left an imprint on the hearts of all who knew her. Above all else, Elsie loved God first. She demonstrated this faithfulness through her example, and by her service to Him in serving two eighteen month humanitarian missions in Aba, Nigeria, Africa. Elsie is survived by her faithful husband, William J. Thackeray, of 55 years. She is the loving mother of seven sons Michael, Kerry, Ben, Jonathan, Christopher, Mark and Steven Thackeray and two daughters Michelle (Clark) and Elizabeth (Rohrbacher), their spouses, thirty-two grandchildren and twenty-eight great grandchildren. The family invites you to attend her public viewing on Friday, April 22, 2011 from 9-9:45 a.m. The funeral service, under the care of Girdner’s Funeral Home, will follow at 10:30 a.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Etna, California. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Madrone Hospice of Yreka, CA 255 Collier Circle Yreka, CA 96097.

Elsie Jean Thackeray

January 7, 1936 - April 18, 2011