Marcia (McCluskey) Tuttle |
| Posted 2017-10-06 by Pat R |
| Arizona Republic (Phoenix, AZ) Sunday, March 19, 2017 Marcia McCluskey Tuttle, 82, died at Maravilla Scottsdale senior community in Scottsdale, AZ on March 11, 2017, surrounded by her family and incredible Maravilla staff members, two weeks after suffering a debilitating stroke and complications from dementia. She was preceded in death by her husband, The Reverend Augustus Wright Tuttle, Jr. of Norfolk, VA; older brother, William Franklin McCluskey; and parents, Thomas Franklin McCluskey and Alverta Mae Goodwin McCluskey. Marcia was the granddaughter of Alverta and William Goodwin of the Goodwin family--whose family were pioneer settlers of Tempe, AZ. Marcia was born in Los Angeles, CA on November 10, 1934--but considered her beloved city of San Francisco, where she spent her formative years, to be her city of origin! Marcia attended San Jose State University, then the University of Arizona in Tucson, where she met and fell in love with both the desert and her husband-to-be, Gus Tuttle. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, with a Minor in History, and later, earned a Master's degree in Human Resource Management from Golden Gate University, San Francisco. After they graduated together from the University of Arizona, she and Gus headed to Berkeley, CA where they married on August 30, 1958, and Gus earned his Master's of Divinity at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific (CDSP). Marcia and Gus then spent a year at the Oregon State Hospital in Salem, OR, where Gus completed an intensive period of service and study. Marcia considered that to be an experience of a lifetime, adding immeasurably to their future in the ministry. A year later, Marcia and Gus spent time in Eloy and Florence, AZ where Gus was vicar of two small Episcopal parishes. Marcia and Gus then went on to serve the congregations of three other Arizona parishes--first at St. Barnabas on the Desert in Scottsdale for seven years, then St. Alban's in Wickenburg for four years, and at St. Andrew's in Glendale for 17 years. Around 1990, Marcia and Gus returned to their church home at St. Barnabas, where Gus served in various capacities and at Scottsdale Healthcare until his death in 2005. Not only did Marcia have a partnership with Gus serving the Episcopal Church for 44 years as a clergy wife, she had a love for teaching and public speaking on communication skills, parenting, and the importance of encouragement. She was a gifted educator and taught parenting and communication courses at Rio Salado, Gateway and Phoenix Community Colleges. Marcia also was an engaging and effective public speaker who had speaking engagements across the state of Arizona. Long after she retired from active teaching and public speaking, Marcia continued to receive thank you notes from former students and audience members whose lives she had touched. Marcia also had a passion for researching and studying the Holocaust of World War II, absorbing extraordinary meaning from its survivors, some of whom became friends. She was a talented and insightful writer; a passionate athlete who ran five miles a day until a knee injury in her early 70's made that impossible; a self-taught gourmet cook who loved to spoil her family and friends with fabulous meals; and a pianist, organist, vocalist and a passionate music lover, who sang, hummed and tapped her toes to the music--almost up until the very last day of her life. She was the best of all mothers--loving, a best friend, confidant, and cheerleader to her children--ALWAYS there. No mother could have been adored more. No mother could have been more beautiful to her family. Through the years, Marcia Tuttle was also known by those who cherished her as "Legs McCluskey," "Amazing Mac," "Beautiful Mama," "Mom," "Marvelous Marcia," and "Mimi." Marcia's joyful strength, sweetness, humor, endurance and appreciation for the beauty of life and the world never wavered, standing in gracious defiance against dementia. Her love and life are gifts that will forever shine in those that loved and knew her. Marcia is survived by her daughter, Tricia Tuttle Doss and husband, Ted Doss, with children, Conor Stephen Doss and Ronan Conor Doss; and her son, Stephen Dennis Tuttle and wife, Susan Tuttle, with children, Kyle Sterling Tuttle and Alexa Colby Tuttle. A Celebration of Life service will be held at 2:00pm on Saturday, April 29, 2017 at St. Barnabas on the Desert Episcopal Church, 6715 N. Mockingbird Lane, Scottsdale, AZ. A reception will follow and all are welcome. In lieu of flowers or other gifts, the family would be grateful for donations to the scholarship program managed by the Arizona Community Foundation for the benefit of the employees at Maravilla Scottsdale, where Marcia and her family were so well cared for. All donations are tax-deductible. Checks may be made payable to, "ACF: Maravilla Education Fund," with the memo, "In Memory of Marcia Tuttle," and mailed to Maravilla Education Fund, c/o Dr. Bob Andringa, 7325 E. Princess Blvd, #3106, Scottsdale, AZ 85255. See Also: Find A Grave |
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