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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Sandpoint mourns death of Mayor Marsha Ogilvie

Sandpoint Mayor Marsha Ogilvie died today.
Sandpoint Mayor Marsha Ogilvie died this morning after a battle with cancer. She was 64. City Council President Carrie Logan, who will serve as interim mayor, said in a statement, “The loss of Mayor Ogilvie will leave an irreplaceable void in the heart of our community. She tirelessly dedicated herself to protecting the most vulnerable and celebrating the generosity of the many volunteers who give of themselves in and around Sandpoint.” Ogilvie was elected to the Sandpoint City Council in 2009 and won the mayor’s race in 2011, succeeding Mayor Gretchen Hellar. She helped establish Kinderhaven, a nonprofit group that supports neglected, abused and abandoned children. “Marsha made that happen. She made a lot of things happen,” said Bonner County Assessor Jerry Clemons, who knew Ogilvie 17 years and worked with her on the Kinderhaven board of directors. More than 1,000 children were sheltered during Ogilvie’s 13 years as president of Kinderhaven, which was the grand prize winner of the Governor’s Brightest Stars Award in 2002. “We have won the hearts and minds of this community and have seen them wrap their arms around us and the children,” Ogilvie said in a 2009 article in The Spokesman-Review. Ogilvie was devoted to arts and economic vitality as well as to children, said Kate McAlister, president and CEO of the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce. “I really respected her. I think she was a phenomenal person,” McAlister said. “She really cared about our town.” “She always was thinking about what was best for our town, and I admired that about her,” she added. “She didn’t care what the naysayers said, she just always thought about what’s best for the town.” Ogilvie also was active with the Community Assistance League in Sandpoint and helped start Women Honoring Women, a committee that paid tribute each year to local women who have been role models through community service or contributions to the arts or education. Ogilvie was retired from business management and administration. She and her husband, Francis, moved to Sandpoint in 1994 and owned The Candy Cottage and All Smiles, a gift shop. Prior to that, she spent 15 years in restaurant management and eight years as vice president of a retail food boutique. Ogilvie was born in Riverside, Calif., and attended college at Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif. She and Francis Ogilvie, who also served on the City Council, were married 28 years.