Gwendolyn Lois Goodell (Gwen) passed away of natural causes on September 1, 2026. She lived in her Dutton home until her final days under the loving care of her twins, Janet and Cindy.

Gwen's memorial service is at 11 a.m. Saturday, October 24 at Dutton United Methodist Church, officiated by the Reverend Kaitlin Elmore Brown. A reception will follow at the Dutton American Legion.

Gwen was born at home to Herbert and Matilda Kestner on August 23, 1925, in Millwood, Pennsylvania. She was the third daughter joining sisters Evelyn and Madelyn. The family added another sister, Carolyn and two brothers, Herb and Stuart.

Gwen was a lifelong Methodist, being baptized and joining the church in nearby Derry, PA.

Her family grew up during the Great Depression with little money and no indoor bathrooms, not uncommon for that period of time. Gwen graduated from Derry Township High School and soon worked at the Kist Drug Store during World War II.

Don Mack introduced Gwen to Roy Goodell, who was visiting from distant Montana. A brief courtship was followed by their wedding on March 2, 1947. It was with lots of spunk and a touch of trepidation that the 21-year-old bride, Gwendolyn Kestner Goodell, set off with her husband from the lush green hills of Pennsylvania to make her new home with husband Roy.She was introduced to life on a wheat farm with many new friends. Gwen's parents and all of her brothers and sisters soon moved to Montana for their own opportunities.

Gwen had seven children in the next ten years. She baked countless batches of cookies and learned to sew out of necessity. The family always had big gardens with Gwen canning vegetables and making every potato dish imaginable.

She was preceded in death by her parents, all of her brothers and sisters, her husband Roy, two children, Bruce and Don, and two grandchildren, Morgan and Adam. She is survived by Don's wife Corlis Goodell, five children: Gene Goodell (Peggy), KathyGoodell, Marcia Miller (Chris), Janet Goodell (John Shumway), and Cindy Goodell. She is survived by eight grandchildren:Genevieve, Shyla, Eric, Laura, Maria, Wyatt, Isaac, David, and seven great-grandchildren: Gwendolyn, Magdolyn, Rosalie, Theodore, Lillian, Emma and Zoe.

Family, church, school and friends were very important to Gwen. She often told us how important the support from the Dutton United Methodist Church and the Senior Center were to her. She liked going to basketball games, class plays and music recitals at Dutton High School. She loved the many weddings and graduation ceremonies that she attended over the nearly 80 years living near and in Dutton.

She traveled to Arizona with Roy for 20 years to avoid the harsh Montana winters. There she took art classes that resulted in almost one hundred oil paintings, many now shown in homes of relatives and friends. She taught many grandchildren the art ofpainting animals on small rocks, her version of pet rocks.

Gwen opened her home to Dutton Fun Day visitors for over 40 years with her yard serving as a family campground. She went on ocean cruises with Roy and Kathy and took airplane flights over the Grand Canyon and the Hawaii volcanos. She traveled on a river cruise with Roy up the Rhine River, experiences she never imagined as a child.

Quoting from an Acantha article on her serving as Grand Marshall in the Fun Day parade at age 90: "I am thankful I married Roy and moved to Montana. I had a good life!"

The family asks that in lieu of flowers, memorials be made to the Dutton United Methodist Church, the Dutton Public Library,or the charity of your choice.