Margrit Luise Knubel Feil

Our dearest Margrit Luise Knubel Feil passed from her mortal journey on Saturday, July 17, 2021 in Bountiful, Utah.  She was surrounded by her loving husband and family.  She was born of Swiss parents in Palzwitz, Prussia on February 16^th, 1936.  Nearing the end of WWII, her mother had a dream that the family needed to move back to Switzerland. They were able to secure passage, and on October 31, 1944, they started their return to their homeland.  Shortly after they left, the Russian army came through Palzwitz completely destroying the village.

She was raised for a short time in Zweisimmen, Switzerland—a village located in the alps, where generations of family originated.  A better job brought the family to Basel, a large city, for her teenage and young adult years.  She was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in 1955.  She spent some time studying Fashion at the University in Neuchatel, in the French region of Switzerland.  In 1962, at the age of 26, she ventured to Salt Lake City, Utah with only $50 in her pocket and unable to speak or understand English.  On July 25, 1962, while sight-seeing in Heber, Utah, she ran into a German couple, Gordon and Gertrude Feil, who could communicate with her in her native language.  They ran into each other 2 more times that same day.  Gertrude had said, “This isn’t just a coincidence!” and invited her for dinner.  It was at that dinner that she was introduced to David Gordon Feil. On their third date, when she was talking about returning to Switzerland, David suggested she stay in the States and marry him instead.  On June 11, 1963, they were sealed for time and all eternity in the Salt Lake Temple.  Over the next 10 years of medical training for David, they had 4 boys in 4 different cities.  Stan (Salt Lake City, Utah), Scott (San Francisco, California), Michael (Lemoore, California), and Matthew (Dallas, Texas).  They settled in Visalia, California, where David built a successful Ophthalmology practice. Margrit was a dedicated mother and homemaker, raising and caring for their 4 boys, as well as helping anyone she knew of who was in need.

Margrit was a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, having held many church callings throughout her life.  She taught herself how to speak, read, and write English.  She was so proud when she was able to earn her U.S. Citizenship, and just as proud of her Swiss heritage.  She loved serving others. She had a very giving heart, looking out for those who were in need, whether it be spiritually or temporally.  She claimed to not be stubborn “like most Swiss”, but when she got an idea in her head, nothing would keep her from following through. She knew her most important calling in life was to care for her family, to which she applied herself diligently.  For 53 years, she devotedly cared for her disabled son Scotty who has severe cerebral palsy.  She survived numerous serious health scares later in life, but persevered until she was sure that Scott and Dad would be well cared for.  Ensuring their long-term care was what she worried about the most.  On the evening of July 15th, she vocally acknowledged that the plan for their assisted care was acceptable.  We knew then that she was ready to give up the fight against her aging, declining health and constant pain.

We are grateful that she is at peace now and are eternally indebted to her for the example she was to all of us here on earth.  She was a loving, forgiving, understanding, and empathetic advocate.  She always worried about the comfort of others above her own.  We will miss her during our temporary separation and look forward to being with her again someday.  There is no doubt that we have a guardian angel now.

Margrit was preceded in death by her brothers, Alfred and Samuel Knubel (Basel, Switzerland), and Hans Knubel (Salt Lake City).  She is survived by her husband David, her sister Anna Magdalena (Oberhofen, Switzerland), and sons Stan (married to Jill Goldsberry Feil), Scotty, Michael (married to Jill Manning Feil), and Matthew (married to Kathy Soutas Feil).  Margrit and David have 12 grandchildren, and 5 great grandchildren (with 2 more on the way by the end of the year).

Funeral Services will be held Friday, July 23, 2021 at 2:00 PM at Russon Mortuary and Crematory, 1941 North Main Street, Farmington, Utah.

Services will be available virtually via Facebook Live at:  https://www.facebook.com/Russon-Mortuary-Crematory-105412734572327

Services will also be streamed on this page under the obituary at 2:00 PM.