Margaret Lucille Gustina

Margaret Lucille “Marcille” Gustina, age 91 of Gallatin, passed away January 12, 2026. Marcille is survived by her eldest daughter, Linda Lee McKeighen, and her partner, Dave Goetz; her second child/identical twin, Baby A – Michelle Lilly and her husband, Michael; her third child/identical twin, Baby B – Patrice Steffanson, and her husband, Arlin. Also, Marcille is survived by three grandchildren, Caitlin McKeighen and her spouse, C.R. Lloyd; Meghan Gonzales and her spouse, Patrick; and Sean McKeighen and his partner, Alicia Holmes; and also numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

She first married Robert Whittaker where they met at the University Of Miami, the father of her three children. Later on in life, she married Frederick “Ted” Gustina (deceased), and they moved from Syracuse, New York to Homosassa, Florida. She loved her family. Her children were her greatest joy, especially when they played their guitars, sang and danced together. She played the organ and piano. Marcille wanted to be a professional dancer and learned how to bellydance. She spent many years throughout Italy, Cuba, Central America, and South America. Marcille was bilingual until age 90.

She was an avid/voracious reader. Her father, Ackland Stiling, owned an ice cream parlor but lost it during the Depression; she was his “Soda Jerk”. She lost her mother at the early age of 19. She really knew how to be a tomboy having had two older brothers, an avid tennis player and embraced different cultures. She could “cut a rug” and loved to dance. She was the ‘Queen’ of the Red Hat Society; taught combination (multi-grade) classrooms in the Caribbean and raised three daughters throughout her travels. She was a Lay Reader/Lay Eucharistic Minister ; a Daughter of the King with Episcopal churches; attended Cursillo and Ultreyas while serving as a Rectora and was a member of the United Daughters of Confederacy.

A Funeral Service will be held at Gallatin First Church of the Nazarene with Pastors Kevin Rector and Meril Chaplin officiating on Monday, January 19, 2026 at 11:00 A.M. There will be a reception following the service and all are invited to attend.

Most of us look up to our mothers, and when one of them passes away – it leaves us with a heavy heart. There is truly never a good time to say goodbye (“adios”) to a loved one!

In lieu of flowers, please send any donations in our Mom's honor to Gentiva Hospice 394 W Main St. Hendersonville, TN 37075, Gallatin First Church of the Nazarene 407 North Water Ave. Gallatin, TN 37066, or to any charity of your choice.