Maire Esther Samuelson

Maire Esther Samuelson departed this life on July 13th, 2024 after a sudden illness.  She was surrounded by love and care until her last breath.  At the time of her departure, she was a resident of Cedar Hills, Utah.

Maire was born on March 11th, 1943, in Crandon, Wisconsin, to Obed and Dora Samuelson, the eldest of their ten children.  

Upon graduating from high school, Maire married Allan Gueller.   Allan’s military service led them to reside in Fort Collins, CO, and Fort Lewis, WA, where they welcomed the first three of their seven children together.  Children born to Maire and Allan were Scott, Jason, Dawn, Abe, Eve, Tonya, and Jonathan Gueller.  The couple purchased a 40 acre farm in Montesano, WA, where she was able to indulge in her love of farming and animal husbandry.  They raised a variety of animals, including chickens, turkeys, peacocks, cattle, pigs, goats, horses, and even a pet skunk.  She often said that she’d never met a human she liked as well as her animals.   Maire and Al resided in Montesano until the marriage dissolved in 1978.  

Maire married Daniel Black in 1980, in Anchorage Alaska.  The couple briefly resided in Alaska, before moving to Washington State.  They made their home in the Lake Chelan Valley, and welcomed in quick succession, children Krystina, Jillaine, Aaron, Naomi, and Lara Black.  Maire suffered a devastating loss in 1986, when their infant son, Damon, was stillborn.  The couple raised their family in the foothills of the Cascade mountains, where they  farmed an apple orchard, and raised Arabian horses.  The farm was everything to Maire, who could reliably be found moving sprinklers, working in her garden, mowing her endlessly expanding yard, and canning up a storm in the late summer.  Although Maire left the area in the years following the dissolution of her marriage to Dan in 2012, her farm, and the Chelan Valley remained dear to her heart.

Maire’s life was one of passion, creativity, and often chaos.  She was a talented self-taught musician, who loved playing the piano and singing.  She could often be found at her grand piano, perfecting a waltz by Chopin, or playing hymns.  She frequently took up new hobbies, like oil painting, or stained glass artistry.  She was known for her gorgeous bouquets, which were a result of many hours spent tending her flower garden.  The result of these many pursuits often meant a slew of unfinished projects, passions set aside to be picked up another time, and an endless imagination for creative possibilities in landscape, gardening, music, and more.  

Maire was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints, where she gave generously of her time and musical talents.  In times of trial, she relied heavily upon her faith.  

Maire was preceded in death by her parents, Obed and Dora Samuelson, sister Judy, brothers Dan and John, and beloved son Jonathan Niles Gueller.

Maire is survived by her sisters, Sylvia, Sonja, Ginger, Connie, Mabel, and Peggy.

Her children, Scott Gueller of Seattle WA, Jason (Carrie) Gueller, of Wright WY, Dawn Gueller Gebhardt, of Eagle Mountain UT, Abraham (Francie) Gueller, of Moses Lake WA, Eve (Jon) Hewett of Cedar Hills UT, Tonya (Erik) Crabtree, of Tacoma WA, Krystina (Erik) Nelson, of Chelan WA, Jillaine (Kene) Christensen, of Chelan WA, Aaron (Amanda) Black, of ID, Naomi (Barry) Leavitt, of Judsonia AR, and Lara (Sean) McMichael, of Council ID.  

Her grandchildren, Cody, Carter, Cooper, Mitch, Tanner, Darik, Quinn, Casey, Brooke, Tyson, Sydney, Lucas, Adelyn, Kara, Seth, Jacquelyn, Zach, Miles, Jesse, Landon, Emma, Monica, Olivia, Kole, Finn, Damon, Joel, Esther, Avery, Autumn, Sabra, Harlin, Ivy, Faye, Abel, and Sadie.  

Maire is also survived by numerous great-grandchildren.

Services will be held on Saturday, July 20th at 9:00 AM at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 195 W. Manson Hwy, in Chelan. A family-only graveside service will follow, at the Chelan Fraternal Cemetery.