Louise Houghton

1940 - 2025

Louise Houghton
07/03/1940 - 10/17/2025
Margaret Louise Houghton passed away of natural causes in Ashland, Oregon on Friday, October 17th. She spent the last week of her life surrounded by family and friends. Though she wouldn't want us to say, she was 85 years old.
Born to Donald and Katherine (nee Villeneuve) Forbes in Chicoutimi, Quebec and raised in Edmundston, New Brunswick, Canada, Louise was one of the few to leave the small, French-Canadian mill town for college. She attended McGill University in Montreal, where she met her beloved husband, William T. (Bill) Houghton. They were married in 1962 and lived happily together for 55 years until Bill's death in 2017.
Louise and Bill moved to San Rafael, California in 1966, where they raised their two sons, Geoff and Ted Houghton, who survive her, along with their wives Helene Houghton and Ellen Labenski, her former daughter-in-law Caressa Gullikson, sister Mary, brother Grant and sister-in-law Margaret Forbes, and grandchildren Rowan, Thatcher and Henry Houghton. She was a caring mother who devoted herself to raising her sons. She adored her dogs, providing a loving home to a succession of increasingly spirited Welsh and wire-haired fox terriers.
Louise excelled as a hostess and was a wonderful cook, holding memorable dinner parties, bridge groups and holiday celebrations. She became an enthusiastic champion of all things California, introducing her East Coast friends and relatives to the golden state landscape, lifestyle and cuisine. She was happiest showing off all the bay area had to offer, from walks in the redwoods and tours of the wine country, to providing precise instructions on how to prepare and eat an artichoke and the other exotic and abundant fresh produce of her adopted home. No one loved California more than she did, and no one shared it so enthusiastically with others.
Louise and Bill were proud to become American citizens upon the nation's 1976 bicentennial, celebrating with a backyard Fourth of July party that became an annual must-attend event in the neighborhood. In 1985, they moved to Danville CA and became members of the Blackhawk Country Club, where they made many of their lifelong friends. Louise loved adventure, convincing her husband and friends to travel to far-flung exotic locales, from Fiji to Kenya, the Middle East and even the pre-Gorbachev Soviet Union.
Louise was a gifted athlete, helping to establish (and captain) a barrier-breaking women's ice hockey team in college, and regularly running and playing tennis with friends. She didn't much like golf (her husband's passion), but when convinced to play in tournaments, more often than not she would end up winning the cup.
She was a superb and fearless skier, rising before dawn to make regular daytrips up to Lake Tahoe and taking her kids out of school for an entire week on the slopes every winter. Her love of skiing lasted throughout her lifetime, leading to avid membership in senior ski groups like the Top of the Hill Gang and Seventy Plus, where she formed some of her closest friendships traveling around the world in search of the perfect downhill run.
Louise was the strong woman standing behind her husband, supporting his successful career at Chevron's information technology group, helping him to stay active in retirement, and allowing him to remain at home where she nursed him through his long and final illness. Though she never got her architectural license, she designed a ski house and a number of house additions and remodelings. She believed in community service, volunteering her time, raising funds for charity, supporting museums, symphonies and food banks.
Throughout her life, Louise was indefatigable and in charge. She was the life of the party and spurred on others to do their best. Her energy and confidence were contagious. She will be missed by her family and all who were fortunate to know her.
To honor Louise's memory, please donate to the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano Counties.