Marie Wilhelmina Aegerter, who resided near Ratcliff, Arkansas, died Friday, June 9, 2023, at Mercy Hospital in Ozark, Arkansas. She was born on May 7, 1922, in Buchanan, Iowa, to the late Samuel Hubert Thurston and Leona Mae (Wagner) Thurston.  In addition to her parents,  Marie was preceded in death by her husband, Glenn Wooten; two daughters, Gertrude Hogan and Marilyn Bramlett; three sisters, Violet Wiskus, Gladys Simmons and Margaret Garmon; two brothers, Jerry Thurston and Sammy Thurston; one granddaughter, Patricia Hogan; and one great-great grandson, Conner Wooten. She was 101 years old.

Marie was known by many names to those who loved her, Rocky Mountain grandma, granny, nana, grandma great, greatsy… All who knew her would assure you of her big heart and loving nature. Her whole life was dedicated to caregiving and the raising of children, and she has left behind a large number of mourners, admirers, and those who owed her a debt of gratitude. Among them, Justin Todd and family and the Molton family. They were all loved by her as dearly as her own family.

She is survived by her daughter, Phyllis Minta; her grandchildren, Penny Kinsinger, Ronald Hogan, Devin Bramlett, Kris Minta, Shane Bramlett, and Katy Minta-Weymouth; fourteen great-grandchildren; and sixteen great-great-grandchildren.

Born 101 years ago, the same year as the founding of the USSR and the British Broadcasting Corporation, the opening of the tomb of King Tutankhamun, and the end of the Ottoman Empire. Marie lived through a tremendous amount of history and was shaped as a person by the Great Depression – she never could abide waste as a result. Leaving rural Iowa after marrying Glenn Aegerter, Marie moved to Coal Creek Canyon in Colorado, where they began a family and raised three daughters. Following the death of her husband in the 1970s, Marie moved to be near family members in Ratcliff, Arkansas, where she spent the rest of her life.

It's impossible to capture the flavor of a life with impersonal facts and dates, so it's important to note that Marie was the master (and teacher of) many skills, the spunky fighter of her own battles, a devoted Christian, and Bible school teacher, and the maker of some of the most bizarre and troublesome holiday desserts on record. She never could quite pronounce the words "electricity", "cinnamon", or "aluminum" correctly. She had the largest collection of yarn in the state and attributed the keeping of her marbles to having active hands via the art of crochet. She passed her crochet DNA along to many. For years, she bombed around Franklin County in a beat-up little yellow Ford Courier pick-up, which she bought used, complete with bullet holes and a bumper sticker that said, "If this truck was a horse, I'd have to shoot it." She kept geese and would chuckle when a young grandchild would get nipped. All in all, she was completely normal and totally eccentric. She represented many of the best values of the past lived right into the present day, and her loss leaves a terrible hole in the lives of her loved ones. We won't see another like her.

Marie's final illness was a trying time, and the family would like to thank all who lent their support or just stopped by for a visit.

Cremation arrangements are under the direction of Brotherton Brothers Funeral Home in Paris. Marie wished for no service and will have her ashes placed by her husband's grave in Colorado.

To place an online tribute, please visit www.brothertonbrothersfuneralhomes.com.