Mary Celeste Alexander

March 25, 1954 - March 5, 2025

Mary C. Alexander died peacefully at home on Wednesday, March 5 in Albany, Oregon at the age of 70 after a long back and forth with cancer. Mary is survived by her husband, Richard Guggenbickler; siblings Martha, Tom, Kevin, Pat, Teresa, Chuck; sons Matthew, David, and Aaron; and grandchildren Arman, Elina, Alex, and Elliott. She is preceded in death by brothers Jim and Denis. Mary was born on March 25, 1954 in Salem, Oregon to Raymond Alexander and Corinne Porter. She graduated from Pendleton High School in 1972 and later received her RN in 1994 from the BMCC Nursing program in Pendleton. At different times in her life, Mary played community softball, line-danced to country-western music, polished her public-speaking skills with Toastmasters, and worked for the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office. In 2016, she married Richard Guggenbickler. They raised a dog (Happy) and several cats (Callie, Lily, and Nona) together. As an infection-control specialist at Good Samaritan in Corvallis, Mary was known for having a keen nose for microbial mischief. She was often called on to use her acute sense of smell in identifying suspect infections. A Master Gardener, she kept an immaculately well-maintained yard that was the envy of the neighborhood. Mary, fond of trips to the Oregon coast, would often make out like a bandit at Chinook Winds Casino. Much to the house’s chagrin, Mary was a smooth operator who always knew when to fold and had a winning streak like nobody’s business. In the kitchen, Mary baked a mean pie from the cherry tree in her backyard. Her secret was a recipe passed along from her grandmother Elma. Mary was also active in the genealogy community, having put thousands of hours into filling out her family tree, and served as a volunteer to clean veterans’ headstones. The family is especially grateful for the expert care she received from the good people at OHSU Cancer Center and at Salem Oncology, in particular Dr. Rayan Prince and staff. In honor of her memory, donations can be made to https://salemhealthfoundation.org/funds-programs/cancer