Mary Guerricabeitia Obituary

Boise - Born June 1st, 1944 in Boise, ID, Mary Louise Murelaga Aldape was the youngest, of three (3) children (Josephine, Phillip and Mary) of Justo Murelaga Retolaza and Angeles Aldape Azpiri. Mary grew up in her parents Corner Grocery store located at 29th and State, moving to the home next door, and finally graduating from Boise High School, while living with her parents in Boise's North End.

Mary went onto Marylhurst College, an all-girls Catholic school, outside Portland, OR. She graduated with a degree in education and then took her first teaching job on the Big Island of Hawaii. There she expanded upon her love for her own Basque culture and music to include that of the Polynesians and Japanese. She learned to play the ukulele, sing Hawaiian children's songs and speak basic Japanese. From the Big Island, Mary moved back to the Portland, OR area, where she continued to teach. She incorporated many multicultural and musical elements in her classroom for 40+ years.

Boise was always home and Mary came back to be near her parents, her culture, her family, and her friends. Upon her return, Mary began putting down roots, buying her first house, and a parcel in the mountains for a future cabin. In 1969, with the closure of her parents grocery store she whisked her parents Justo and Angeles on the first of three trips to the Basque country. Subsequent trips in 1971 and 1972 cemented the connection with family there, in a way that continues today through her children, her siblings children, as well as the children of family in the Basque country that was visited on those original trips.

During this period Mary was introduced to Jose Maria Guerricabeitia Arriaga and the two began dating, traveling back to Euskadi to meet Jose Maria's family and parents, and continuing to visit the family of Justo and Angeles.

Eventually Mary and Jose Mari married at St. Mary's Catholic Church, in Boise, ID, raised three (3) children (Joe, Angie and Lisa) and eventually went into business for themselves with rental properties. Mary continued teaching while doing all of the accounting, finance and business side of things for the rentals. In her spare time she volunteered and helped teach music and dance to small Basque children, with an accordion, tambourine, guitar, spoons or anything else that made noise. Mary also went back to school to get her Masters in Education at Boise State University, and served as the President of the Hyde Park Neighborhood Association during it's pivotal redevelopment in the early 1980s. Upon the death of her father Justo she engaged her mother Angeles in the managing of her parents rental business, along with help from her brother Phil and husband Jose Mari. Most importantly she looked after Angeles' day-to-day needs and reintroduced her to playing music on the button accordion, after almost a 60 year hiatus. Along with her children, Mary introduced countless Boise visitors to Basque culture via music and dance through her affiliation with the Boise Tour Train and Basque Museum.

In later years Mary organized visits to the sick and elderly with her family, most notably her mother Angeles. These informal visits grew under the banner of Beti Gazte, with additional talented Basque women musicians joining to bring music, levity and love to those most in need. In addition to visits and music, she helped organize card-writing campaigns via her sisters and brothers in Aizten Artean and the Basque Choir. For fun she joined some of these same individuals on First Thursdays to play music at the Basque Museum and Cultural Center and sing in the Basque Choir. She also recorded music with other Boise Basque musicians in an effort to share and preserve the Basque culture.

When Father Antton Egiguren came to Boise and met Mary, the stars aligned. With Mary's encyclopedic knowledge of Treasure Valley Basque elders and familial genealogies and Father Antton's ecumenical skills and a shared love of people, a new divine chapter of visits was born with the two traveling the Treasure Valley to bring music, community and spiritualism to those in need.

Just prior to her passing, Mary celebrated her 80th birthday, with 50+ of her closest family and friends. and followed this grand celebration with a trip of spiritual faith by participating in a pilgrimage to the Basque Country. There in the company of other like minded Basques, and guided by Father Antton himself, Mary shared in good company and good food for mind, body, and soul and reconnected with family and friends after a 15 year hiatus.

Mary is survived by her three children, Joe, Angie and her husband Eric Luke, along with their daughter Abby, and Lisa, her brother Phil (Anita), as well as numerous nieces and nephews, cousins here and abroad, friends and former students. In death Mary has not ceased to be, but has merely passed the torch to all of those individuals she has touched throughout her life. Goian bego.

Services

Viewing & Rosary

Sunday

September 8, 2024

5:30 PM to 7:00 PM / 7:00 PM

Cloverdale Funeral Home

1100 N Cloverdale Rd

Boise, ID 83713-7805

Funeral Mass

Monday

September 9, 2024

11:00 AM

St Mary's

2612 W State St

Boise, ID 83702