Obituaries

Rev. Marguerite "Peggy" Gutt, stepped calmly and peacefully through the veil between Heaven and Earth on June 25, 2022. She is proceeded in death by her husband Rev. Stanley Gutt. She leaves behind her daughter Sharon (Gutt) Johnsonbaugh and son-in-law Steve Mulder, son Dale Gutt and daughter-in-law Ellen (Webster) Gutt, and grandchildren Samantha Johnsonbaugh, Vicki Johnsonbaugh and partner April Vore, Michael Johnsonbaugh and fiancé' Brandy Demott and daughter Davina Demott, and her beloved cat Penny. Peggy was born in Pontiac and was a lifelong resident of Michigan, calling both Clawson and Hazel Park her homes. Her father was Clawson City Manager for many years and her uncles sold real estate in the Rochester and Rochester Hills area. It is challenging to list all of Peggy's life accomplishments without taking up volumes of space. She worked years in both her profession and volunteer work, giving countless hours of volunteerism to her community. She was an avid reader and enjoyed many different genres, but her favorite author was Clive Cussler. She read every one of his books and even had an opportunity to meet him. She was also a world traveler, visiting many of the Caribbean Islands. She and her son took a Rhine River cruise, visiting the Netherlands, France, Germany, Switzerland, and England. Two of her fondest memories from the trip were the "Happy Hot Chocolate" and petting the local dogs in Germany. Peggy was ordained in 1999 as both a reverend and an accredited national teacher. She served for over 20 years as pastor of the First Spiritual Temple of Royal Oak, in addition to serving in each of the operational roles of President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. She was also a Sunday school teacher, served as Secretary on the Board of Directors of the Morris Pratt Institute (MPI), and was secretary of the Michigan State Spiritualist Association of Churches (MSSAC). She was named Michigan State Spiritualist of the Year in 2006. She received a Teacher's Award for outstanding service and dedication in 2014 from the National Spiritualist Association of Churches (NSAC), and lectured at several of the national conventions. Peggy's volunteer work was dedicated to the women's clubs in Michigan, mainly the General Federation of Women's Clubs (GFWC). She wore many hats in her work serving as club treasurer, recording secretary and Resident Agent. She represented her club attending Southeastern District workshops, state conventions and visited various other neighboring Michigan clubs. At the local level, Peggy served as GFWC Clawson President from 1992-1994. She then went on to server at the state level, as GFWC Michigan President from 1994-1996. She was chosen as the Outstanding Volunteer in 1989 and 1993, selected as Mrs. Federation in 1990, and honored with the Woman of Achievement Award (GFWC Clawson) in 2005. She and her late husband Stanley, worked for many years in support of the Girlstown Foundation (now Guiding Harbor) founded by GFWC-MI, which is a private, non-profit organization that provides child care and child placement services for abused and neglected children. Peggy has truly shared her enthusiasm for GFWC by promoting their club's activities and by having set an example for young women of today to follow. After her children had grown, she chose to become a parliamentarian, who is an expert on parliamentary procedure advising organizations and assemblies. She studied and completed the exam to become a Professional Registered Parliamentarian (PRP) in 1988. Her Michigan license plate even reflected her title: PEGPRP. She was a member of the National Association of Parliamentarian (NAP) and was a frequent presenter at their conventions. She was also a member of the Michigan Unit of Registered Parliamentarians (MURP) and the Detroit Unit. She served for many years as parliamentarian for Century 21 Real Estate, the Detroit Independent School District (DISD), the McKinney Repertory Theatre (MRT) and the American Society for Hand Therapists (ASHT). Her parliamentarian work continued into the volunteer sector - serving many years as the parliamentarian for GFWC Clawson, the GFWC Oakland County Federation and at the state level for GFWC Michigan. Peggy was involved with the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) for many years, taking on the role of PTA President, following her children through the Hazel Park School system. She was honored being named a Lifetime Member. One of the earliest stages of her volunteerism was leading a Girl Scout troop. Her troop was at Ford Elementary in Hazel Park, in which her daughter Sharon was a member and son Dale was the mascot. She guided the girls with many projects working toward their badges, participated in numerous camp and jamboree outings, and organized selling those famous boxes of cookies. Her favorite was the Thin Mints. Peggy's life was dedicated to the service of others, with the love of family and all animals, especially those who help them; therefore, in lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to "Not One More Vet" (http://nomv.org/). This 501(c)(3) organization helps veterinary professionals who are in crisis. They provide the necessary support to all members of veterinary teams and students who are struggling or considering suicide.