Marcella Hagstrom

One can only imagine the undeniable love Marcella Hagstrom held in her heart. In fact, Marcella represented love through her compassionate and generous ways. As she unconditionally loved others, she was never judgmental, and led by example. With kindness and care, she gave freely of her time, expecting nothing in return. Although Marcella had a strong will and even stronger spirit, her loving light shone bright for all to see. Although deeply missed, these things and more will be treasured as Marcella's lasting legacy. The decade forever known as the Roaring Twenties created an entirely new landscape within the culture of America. A time of great prosperity, the year brought forth the completion of the Lincoln Memorial, and the publication of the first Reader's Digest. The field of medicine was forever changed when insulin became available for the treatment of diabetes, and to many faithful baseball fans, the beginning of construction on the Yankee Stadium was a milestone in the sport of baseball. Yet just as the warmth of summer was settling in along the Lake Michigan shoreline in the year 1922, Leon and Gladys (Porter) Hagstrom welcomed the blessed birth of their little girl, Marcella Rae, born on July 13, 1922. Born at home in the close knit community of North Muskegon, Michigan where the Hagstrom family made their home, Marcella's father owned and operated Hagstrom Flooring. Her mother was a homemaker who looked after young Marcella and her older sister, Patricia who was two years older than Marcella. At the age of two, Marcella contracted the Polio Virus. Often a debilitating disease, Marcella walked on her toes, and her parents feared the worst, especially when the doctors told them she would never walk normally or do normal activities. Although she needed leg braces for a time, Marcella proved them all wrong. A local chiropractor worked with her every day, even after she began school, to help Marcella walk correctly. Despite the setback Marcella faced as a young child, she never allowed it to get her down. In her neighborhood on Ruddiman Drive, Marcella enjoyed a typical childhood for the times. She enjoyed playful adventures with the Erickson twins and other neighborhood kids where everyone looked out for one another. Even in her younger years, Marcella was known to be a little bit of a firecracker. During her youth, she and a male friend built a tar paper boat and after placing it in the Muskegon Lake, they were going to see how far they could get. When her sister Patricia got word about this, she ran home to her parents. After they all went down to the lake, they saw that the boat had already sunk to the bottom as Marcella and her friend didnt make it past the shallow water. With the onset of the Great Depression, everyone felt financial hardship, and Marcella's family was no exception. While growing up during these times of struggle, Marcella's mother sewed all their clothes and even made Marcella's clothes from flour bags. Even so, Marcella held fast to fond memories during this time of her life. As a family they often helped on her great-grandparent's blueberry farms, and also went on memorable camping trips with her Aunt Mable and Uncle Glen. She loved staying with her Grandma and Grandpa Porter on their farm in Coopersville, too. Big Sunday dinners and family day was always a treat. She especially enjoyed going to the area beaches and the many enjoyable picnics they went on. In high school, Marcella played basketball, enjoyed bike riding and swimming. She graduated from North Muskegon High School and went on to further her education at Muskegon Business College where she attained her degree in accounting. With her degree in hand, it wasn't long before Marcella landed a job working at Teledyne Continental Motors as an accountant. She remained working there for the next 43 years until retiring in 1986. She was a longtime member of the Women Investment Group of Muskegon and the American Society of Women Accountants Muskegon Chapter 14. Faith and played a vital role in Marcella's life and she was a member of Community United Methodist Church. In her spare time, her interests varied from her enjoyment of photography to playing golf with friends. She loved the outdoors and getting together with friends for lunch, but she always looked forward to spending time with her nieces and nephews. Even though Marcella never had any children of her own, she did share her love with the children in her life she so adored, her nieces and nephews and then her great-nieces and nephews, and on to her great-great nieces and nephews. There were absolutely no limits to the way she felt about these special people in her life. She was sure to attend all of their school activities and special functions, and she never missed a birthday. She continued to make all their birthday cakes, and up until two weeks ago, she was caring for a few of her great-great nieces and nephews. Marcella was not only an aunt to her nieces and nephews, but a friend and mentor. She made sure to them to their first Detroit Tigers game and took them on many vacations over the years including trips in her motor home and Mackinac Island. Marcella even accompanied her nephew and his wife on a memorable cruise together. She also loved the holidays. Being surrounded by family brought her the greatest joy, especially spoiling all her nieces and nephews. Marcella could not have loved them any more than if they were her own biological children. With an ever present, compassionate nature, Marcella served with loving kindness as the caretaker for her niece, Missie. Diagnosed with cancer, she stayed by her side until she sadly passed away. She finally retired to care for her ailing mother and remained with her until her dying day. When her best friend, Mary Murphy became ill, Marcella was there with loving reassurance until she too, passed away. With her hopeful and faithful demeanor, Marcella was a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day. A true kid at heart, Marcella loved togetherness. She never took anyone for granted, especially moments that truly mattered. With ways all her own, she represented love in all aspects of her life. She was accepting of others, never judged, and simply loved unconditionally. Deeply missed, the heart of Marcella lives on in those she so lovingly touched. Miss Marcella R. "Auntie" Hagstrom, age 91, passed away Monday, November 18, 2013. SURVIVORS: Sister, Patricia Miller of Muskegon; nephews, Gregory (Suzanne) Miller of Muskegon, Paul (Helen) Miller of Grand Rapids, Lauren (Barbara) Miller of TX; many great and great-great nieces and nephews; nephew-in-law, Joe Tackx. She was preceded in death by her brother-in-law, Victor Miller, and niece, Marcia Tackx. SERVICE: Saturday, November 23, 2013, 2:00 PM with visitation one hour prior to the service at Community United Methodist Church with Rev. Sandy Harryman officiating. Interment at Laketon Township Cemetery. MEMORIAL: Community United Methodist Church. Please visit www.clockfuneralhome.com to share a favorite memory and photo of Marcella and to sign her online guest book.