Marilyn Joyce Memovich

Name: Marilyn J. Memovich Date and resident at death: February 27, 2011, Vancouver, WA Date of birth: May 31, 1926 Funeral Home: Evergreen Memorial Gardens Marilyn Memovich passed away peacefully Sunday surrounded by family at her home in Vancouver. She was born to William and Mary Burke in Sacramento, California on May 31, 1926. Her family moved frequently when she was growing up; tranferring to South Bonneville, Oregon when she was a teen-ager. While attending Stevenson High School she met her sweetheart and life-long partner, Steve Memovich. They graduated with the class of '43, and Steve immediately answered his country's call to service. Steve and Marilyn were married June 12, 1944, in Austin, Texas, and left the next day for Florida for Steve's final training for active duty as a navigator in the Army Air Corps. While he was overseas, Marilyn lived with her parents who had moved to Portland, Oregon. Steve and Marilyn were devoted partners, parents and grandparents throughout the rest of their lives. After the War, they lived in Missoula, Montana, where Steve attended law school, and then in Mountlake Terrace, Washington, finally settling in Vancouver in 1957. Marilyn became an active member of the community, serving in leadership roles with the PTA, Girl Scouts, YWCA, Red Cross, and Junior League at various times while raising her four children. She also participated enthusiastically in the garden club, church choir, fishing and skiing. She was an avid sports fan, rooting passionately for Little League, softball, high school sports, Blazers, and Seahawks, as well as any college team where her kids or grandkids were in attendance. Marilyn loved music and dance. She was a tap dancer as a young girl, and established Marilyn's School of Dance during her years in Mountlake Terrace, so that her daughters could have a similar opportunity. She always enjoyed watching Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movies with Steve and family, especially in her last year. Marilyn always loved a good game, and was a formidable bridge player and golfer. She reveled in scoring two hole-in-one's during her amateur career. She loved a good day on the golf course or a good hand of bridge, but it was good times with good friends and family that meant so much to her. Over the years Marilyn's family activities and responsibilities slowly evolved to simply enjoying the gatherings of her ever-enlarging family. She loved the happy sounds of little kids running through the house playing hide-and-seek, laughter of older kids playing Canfield at the dining table, and the thumps of ping-pong and pool games going on upstairs. Her face was bright with joy whenever the little ones brought her a piece of artwork or sang or danced for her. In the early eighties, Marilyn and two of her best friends, Mary Grace and Vera Rivers, operated the Park Hill Stationery Store. They were a hard-working enterprise, but a fun-loving trio. She is survived by her husband, Steve Memovich of Vancouver, her three daughters, Terri (Mike) Bull of Longview, Mary (Dick) Thompson of Vancouver, and Laura Wilkinson (Dennis Fitzgerald) of Vancouver, her son, Greg Memovich (Karen Fusco) of Silverdale, and her sister, Patricia Bright of Portland. She has twelve grandchildren and twelve great grandchildren. Special thanks to the caregivers who provided loving assistance to her for the past several months and supported her and her family in her final days. A viewing will be held on Saturday, March 5th from 10am to 9pm at Evergreen Memorial Gardens with the funeral to follow on Sunday, March 6th at 12:30pm. There will be a reception at Royal Oaks Country Club after the service. Contributions can be made to the Red Cross or YWCA in her memory.

Marilyn Joyce Memovich

May 31, 1926 - February 27, 2011