Marian Underwood

Marian T. Underwood, of Chula Vista, California, formerly of Galesburg, MI life-long companion and wife of Gerald E. "Bud" Underwood, formerly of Galesburg, Michigan passed away peacefully November 30, 2016 surrounded by family. Marian ("May") was born in Ohio in 1924. She attended Mount Union College where she majored In English and graduated among the top of her class. It was at Mount Union where she also met Bud who became her life-long partner for the next 66 years until his death in 2009. Together they created a family, advanced their careers and served their communities. May cared for her children, supported Bud in pursuit of his career, and worked tirelessly creating a warm environment on their little homestead century-old "farm" near Galesburg. Her garden was huge and the chores never ending but there was always milk and cookies, dinner in the oven, and a warm, cheerful mother to greet her children and husband home from school and work. As soon as her kids were safely ensconced in school, May returned to school herself to earn her Masters Degree in English and Education through Western Michigan University. Because of the great respect for her in the community she was quickly offered the challenging and rewarding job of 8th grade English Teacher at Galesburg-August Junior High School where she excelled as a teacher for the next 10 years. Many years later she would continue to hear from former students expressing their deep appreciation. These professional years were extremely rewarding and Marian took great pride in the results of her hard work and achievements among her students. It gave her a true sense of accomplishment, but nothing in the end could compare to her profound sense of devotion to, and love for, her family. After retirement she and Bud moved to the little community of Descanso in southern California. Their children were grown and soon two delightful grand-daughters arrived on the scene, followed by three adorable great-grandsons. Nothing gave her more joy than visits from her children, granddaughters and great-grandsons. Together they shared many adventures hiking the deserts and mountains, playing on ocean beaches and gathering with the family at their Descanso home. May and Bud continued their community involvement in Descanso, helping develop a new and expanded Descanso library, a branch of San Diego County Library. In recent years Bud and May moved to Fredericka Manor in Chula Vista while son, Gary, continued to provide regular companionship and ensure their care and contentment. May and Bud were happy at Fredericka Manor and received the best of care from a professional and devoted staff. Surviving are her sons, Gary E. Underwood of Descanso, CA, Robert K. Underwood (Karen Wilson) of Galesburg, MI, daughter Beth K. Underwood (Jack Hogg) of Missoula, MT, granddaughters, Bree Hogg (Aaron Rasmussen) of Bozeman, MT, Keely Hogg (Todd Smith) of Dana Point, CA, and great grandsons Louie, Paxton and Kai. In support of medical research, Marian Underwood requested that her body be donated to the UCSD Medical School for research. No formal memorial service will be held. The family asks that any donations be made to the Cuyamaca Ranco State Park (www.cuyama.us) or a favorite park or library in your area.