Margie R. Gillis

Margie was born to Clell and Maggie Richardson on June 3, 1929. She was the youngest of nine children. She had a twin brother named Roger Richardson. She was born and grew up in West Irvine, Ky during her early years, till about the age 5. She only attended a few weeks of her freshman year in high school. Her mother made her quit and stay home, when she found out she was square dancing in physical education class. Her mother and dad moved often. She was born in a house that her mom and dad set up housekeeping in, provided by the sawmill where Clell worked. She said it was beside the river, where they got their water. The picture is below of that house where all 9 kids were born. She ended up in Frankfort, in time to meet Charles Gillis. Pauline was dating Earl Cook and he knew Charlie, so they doubled for the first date and a few dates after that. They suffered a near fatal head-on collision one night while all on a double date. It happened on old Frankfort Pike. Earl was at the wheel and hit Roberta Sherwood head on.....Pauline had multiple facial cuts, from the windshield.....took awhile for her face to heal, but she has lifetime scarring from that wreck. Margie had the back seat and her date "on top" of her, when the car finally stopped. She always thought that gave her kidney problems later on in life. She married Charles and moved to Lawrenceburg. Maggie Richardson (her mother) got so mad because she was marrying, that she refused to come to the wedding. They married in Frankfort, with her brother Roger and fiance Jean Roberts, standing up with them. Margie and Charles loved to dance...and they went dancing whenever monies allowed. Margie gave birth to 3 children, Linda Sue, Margaret Charlene, and Charles Edward, Jr. They lived in Stringtown for about 20 years or so, before buying a farm on Hawthorne road and building a new house. They sold that and bought on hgwy #44, where Margie and Eddie resided after Charles's death. Then she sold and she and Eddie and Eddie's new wife, all lived in her home on Hunter Ridge sub. here in Lawrenceburg..

During their life on hgwy #44 residence, their grandson Christopher Gillis was brought to her home to live, as well as Eddie, and she and Charlie kept him and raised him, till he entered U. K. and then graduated from U.K. Besides Christopher, her grandchildren are Bryan Sherwood, Chad Sherwood, David Goodlett, Dawn Goodlett. She has 9 great grandchildren which are: Caleb Sherwood, Grace Gillis,Anderson Gillis, Madelyn, Katelyn, Logan and Charles Landon Goodlett, and Sawyer and Mason Reynolds.

She loves to sing also, and before her kidney transplant traveled to area churches and sang with her grown children in a gospel group called "God's Gift"...She has always been talented with handwork. She makes afghans (crocheted) for family members, new babies, or to sell. She also pieces and quilts quilts that are beautiful. She also enjoys puzzles, playing croquet, and doing word games.

She was always partial to her brother Sherman Richardson, who was killed in WWII on the beaches of Normandy....she was shattered at his death. Her brother Edward was murdered around 1991, by his own grandson, Jeremy Catlett, and that shattered her also.

She has always been a caring person and has taken in many family members, at different times of her life. She always put others before herself. She joined Sand Spring Baptist Church, when she married Charles and they both attended there, till his death. She has sang in choirs at her church.

She cared for both elderly parents, till their deaths. Her mother Maggie, passed at 96 years of age and her father, Clell, at 106, by the best guess about his age. She had to undergo surgery to receive a kidney transplant about 10 years ago at age 70. After the transplant, her husband Charles was diagnosed with macular degeneration, altzheimers, and finally lung cancer, which killed him on Mar 24, 2003. She later married Buddy Baker, but that marriage was very short lived.

She has buried her whole family, except for her twin Roger at this writing....she said that's been hard. On 02/02/2020 her battle with illness ended after weeks and weeks of suffering, being in the hospital for the month of January and finally at Heritage Hall Rehab here in Lawrenceburg. She had congestive heart failure, along with kidney failure and fluid all over her body, including her lungs. The kidney lasted 20 years, when doctors said any transplant only last for 10. She was strong and fought hard to overcome all the many illnesses in her life. She passed at 90 yrs old and we are still not ready to give her up. Her funeral is tomorrow 02/06i/2020. Praying for strength. My mother is loved. She is sorely missed already. (submitted by Linda McElwain) 3/27/09 Additonally, Roger her twin has passed in 2015. She also sold her home on hgwy#44 and moved to Hunter Ridge sub. in Lawrenceburg. info submitted by Linda Gillis Sherwood/McElwain 2016 and 2020