Obituary of Gwendolyn Pearl Ferland

Gwendolyn Pearl Ferland (Gwen) was born on July 28, 1931, in West Danville, Vermont to Oscar and Kathleen Ayer. She died on February 5, 2022, in Oroville, California. Gwen grew up in West Danville, graduating from West Danville High School in 1949. She soon left her small town for the big city, finding work with Dunn & Bradstreet in Hartford, Connecticut. There she met her husband Larry, and they were married in 1954. They had two sons together, Lawrence Jr., and Michael (Rhonda). Larry preceded Gwen in death in 2004. Larry worked in construction, so the family moved all around the country following his work, from Massena, New York to Niagara Falls to the Dalles, Oregon. They finally settled down in Oroville, where Gwen worked 25 years for the Butte County offices, the last several years as Butte County assistant recorder. She retired in 1992. Though most of her life was spent in Oroville, Gwen retained a connection to her childhood home and family in Vermont, often reminiscing about the beautiful fall foliage and the taste of fresh maple syrup straight from the sugar houses. While Gwen loved her boys, her pride and joy were her two grandchildren: Jennifer (Daniel) and Andrew (Kaitlin). Grammy, as she was affectionately called, gave all her time, energy, and enthusiasm to her grandkids, as she nurtured their growth through dance recitals, piano lessons, horseback riding, golf outings, and more. Grammy’s house was the de-facto after school program, with endless games of Yahtzee, Gin Rummy, and “Go Fish” serving as the days’ lessons, and T.U. (The Usual) egg sandwiches on the daily menu. As the grandkids grew up, Grammy made sure she attended all the sporting events she could, from Little League through High School. In her later years, in between hitting her favorite slot machines at the local casinos, Gwen enjoyed daily visits from her sons, as standing lunch and dinner dates at home took the place of games and outings. Even with age, Gwen remained ahead of her time, always up to speed with the latest Nintendo Mario games, computers, and internet trends, from beanie babies to travel bloggers to the best source for Vermont maple syrup. Most of all, Gwen was known for her baking - holiday pies (chocolate, strawberry, banana cream, pecan, you name it…) and breads of all kinds were savored by everyone, though her sons’ favorites were her famous brownies and chocolate chip cookies. Grammy’s desserts were the highlight of every celebratory meal, and while everyone had their favorites, a chocolate ice-cream sundae was her own go-to treat. In addition to her sons and grandchildren, Gwen is survived by two great grandchildren: Charlotte Pearl Zmak (2) and Georgia Marigold Zmak (7 mo). “She brought us Joy, and we loved her well.” At her request, services will be private. Arrangements entrusted to Ramsey Funeral Home (530)534-3877.