Gweneth Isobel Goller's Obituary
GOLLER, GWENETH ISOBEL SMITH born August 31, 1926 in Melbourne, Australia. She was preceded in death by her parents, George Collie Smith and Violet Victoria Wishart Smith and a brother John “Jack” Francis Smith. She died at the age of 86, January 29, 2013 in Dallas, Texas. She is survived by her husband, Father O. Martin Goller, a former architect, and a retired Episcopal Priest. Survived also by her only child, Victoria L. Goller, her grandson, Martin J-H Jones, her daughter-in-law, Maggie Mae Jones, and two great-grandchildren, Grady Martin Jones and Gweneth Margaret Jones, all of Dallas, TX. She is survived by two sisters, Elva M. Crang of Melbourne, Australia and Betty M. Burrell, of Brisbane, Australia. There is also a large extended family in Australia and New Zealand. As a young girl, she was an avid horsewoman and ice skater. While her siblings were out riding their bicycles, she chose to ride horses and never learned to ride a bike. During WWII, she met a young United States Marine, to whom she became engaged. Having not seen her Marine fiance for three full years, at the age of 20, she traveled to the United States as a war fiancee. The War Finance Act was an act Fr. Goller and two other men were responsible for passing through congress in order to get the war fiances over to the US. She traveled by sea on the Marine Falcon and married that Marine in St. Louis, Missouri on September 28, 1946. They were married for 66 years. Her husband finished architectural school and they moved to Oklahoma City, OK. While in Oklahoma City, she became a professional actress and worked with many notable stars. She was also a devoted church woman. She was her husband’s “right hand man” at the churches they served. She worked many long hours making certain the church was absolutely perfect for each Sunday and especially all the special high church feast days. She was also an excellent entertainer and loved to have people to the house for wonderful parties. “Simple” was not a word in her vocabulary. She was also an avid reader. She would read up to 20 books per week. She never lost her “British” accent, which would be most evident when she was nervous or angry. She was an extraordinary, elegant, helpful, and loving woman. She never knew a stranger and would help anyone in need of any kind. Funeral services will be held at Good Samaritan Episcopal Church, 1522 Highland Road in Dallas, Texas on Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at 4:00 PM. Internment with a Memorial Service will be held at Emmanuel Episcopal Church , 548 N. Broadway, Shawnee, Oklahoma, on Saturday, February 23, 2013 at 2:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Jude’s Childrens Hospital.
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