Marguerite Gomez's life was rooted deeply in Indianapolis, where she was born on January 17, 1917. She was the daughter of Felipe (Phillip) Gomez Jauregui, a Mexican immigrant and World War I veteran, and Martha “Mattie” Dunlap. Marguerite grew up in her grandmother Nancy Dunlap’s household, surrounded by the strength of her extended family.

At Crispus Attucks High School, she quickly stood out for her academic excellence. Honor rolls carried her name year after year, and in 1933 she was inducted into the National Honor Society. That same spring she performed in the senior class play, showing the grace and confidence that marked her early years.

Her path led her to Butler University, where she majored in Spanish and earned her Bachelor of Arts in 1939. Teaching was part of her training—she even gave Spanish lessons at Arsenal Technical High School—but her influence stretched far beyond the classroom. While at Butler, she was initiated into the Kappa Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. She held office in the chapter and often opened her family’s home to host meetings and pledging ceremonies. Sorority sisters remembered her warmth and hospitality, and decades later, her obituary in Ivy Leaf honored her lasting impact.

Marguerite’s community life was anchored in her faith at Bethel A.M.E. Church. She married twice: first to Homer Birdwell in 1941, and later to Alexander J. Wills, with whom she shared her home on North Guilford Avenue.

In her final years, she faced illness with courage. On May 31, 1970, she passed away at St. Vincent’s Hospital at the age of 53. Services were held at Willis Mortuary, and she was laid to rest at Crown Hill Cemetery.

Marguerite was among the early members of Kappa Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha at Butler, and she was one of the few Mexican–African American women publicly visible in Indianapolis civic and sorority life from the 1930s through the 1970s. Her story reflects both her family’s immigrant and African American roots and her own determination to excel and serve.

Her legacy is one of scholarship, sisterhood, and faith—a life remembered with love.