Gertrude E. "Skip" Marburger, 97, of Mars died Monday afternoon at Shelbourne Assisted Living in Penn Township.

Born in Warrendale, July 18, 1912, she was the daughter of the late Thomas S. and Savilla Brown Fowler.

Skip and her husband had owned and operated Marburger's Meat Market in Mars for many years.

She was a 71-year member of the Mars United Methodist Church. She was a member and past president of the Butler County Federation of Women's Clubs and the Mars Woman's Club. She was a 60 plus year member and past matron of the Mars Chapter 271, Order of the Eastern Star.

Surviving are two grandsons, William Scott Thompson and his wife, Lisa, of Port St. Lucie, Fla., and Steven A. Thompson, and his wife, Maureen, of Canonsburg; five great-grandchildren, John, Bonnie, Greg, Ryan and Erin Thompson; and two great-great-grandchildren, Rae Lynn and Breonna Thompson.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Andrew Maitland Marburger, who she married March 14, 1934, and who died March 21, 1983; and by a daughter, Joan I. Thompson, who died Sept. 26, 1998. As the last surviving member of her immediate family, she was preceded in death by five brothers and three sisters.

<B>MARBURGER</B> — Friends of Gertrude E. "Skip" Marburger, who died Monday, Nov. 30, 2009, will be received from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Friday at the <B>McDonald-Aeberli Funeral Home</B>, 238 Crowe Ave., Mars. Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home. Entombment will be in the mausoleum at Butler County Memorial Park.In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Mars Public Library, P.O. Box 415, Mars, PA 16046.Directions and condolences are available at www.mcdonald-aeberli.com.