Gwendolyn Degerlund

Gwendolyn Ann Degerlund, age 80, of Duchesne, went home to be with her Lord Jesus Christ on September 12, 2015.
She was born on August 16, 1935 to a young farmer, Joel D. Aycock, and his wife, Gertie Glenn Lamberson, in the country near Boyle, Mississippi. At the age of 2 she moved with her family to Drew, MS to a new house and farm. At the age of 10 she and her family moved to Newton, MS where her father became a ministerial student at Clark College.
Gwen had an older brother, Raymond Lamar, and six months after moving to Newton had a little sister, Nancy Annette. Gwen's family lived in several towns where her father pastored churches. She graduated from Gulfport High School and attended William Carey College located in Hattiesburg, MS.
In 1955 she met the love of her life, Kurt Johannes Degerlund. They were married in 1956, and remained married for over 58 years, until Kurt's passing on June 3 of this year.
Gwen was a military wife and homemaker and raised her family in the many locations that the Air Force took them, including Nevada, Texas, California, Georgia, Germany and Spain. If she saw something and wanted to make it she usually did so with clever competence. During her life she was a versatile and talented maker of needle point, hand cut and painted wooden figures, crocheted dishcloths and blankets. She was an accomplished seamstress and made items from a variety of materials including items as diverse as ball gowns, toy clothes, canvas tents, outdoor gear, curtains and upholstered furniture. She also worked for several years as a substitute school teacher, and enjoyed playing the piano.
Gwen loved to entertain in her home by cooking meals lavished with her native southern hospitality.
When Kurt retired from the Air Force they moved to Broomfield, Colorado, and they both worked for Storage Tek Corporation for another 20 years. After retiring again in 2001, they moved to Duchesne, Utah, where they met many more dear friends and actively served in the First Baptist Church of Duchesne.
During her corporate career, Gwen was skilled as an office manager and in her retirement used those skills to help the church in Duchesne. She and Kurt devoted many hours of labor to the building of the church parsonage and the upkeep of the church facilities. Gwen served as the church secretary and on other committees for a number of years.
Gwen is survived by her daughter Gigi Degerlund Willett and her husband Julian of Lakewood, Colorado, son Nils Degerlund and his wife Joy of North Pole, Alaska, 7 grandchildren, 5 great-grandchildren, sister Nancy Pope of Clinton, Mississippi and numerous friends around the world.
A memorial gathering will be held the First Baptist Church in Duchesne at 3 pm on Saturday, September 19, 2015. The family requests that in lieu of flowers donations be made in her honor to the First Baptist Church of Duchesne (P.O. Box 694, Duchesne, UT 84021). She will be interred at Alaska Baptist Cemetery in Two Rivers, Alaska.
Cremation arrangements handled by the Hullinger Mortuary.