Marlene Manty Erickson

Marlene Erickson educator, and devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend passed away peacefully in her sleep on Friday, March 25, 2022, in Bellevue Washington. Her family announced her death.

With grandparents who were immigrants from Finland, Marlene was proud of her Finnish heritage. She was the true epitome of sisu, a Finnish concept with no literal English translation but has been described as stoic determination, the tenacity of purpose, grit, bravery, resilience, and hardiness.

Marlene was born November 6, 1933, in Duluth, Minnesota to Einar and Lillian Manty. One year after her birth, her family moved to Kettle River, Minnesota to try their hand at farming. There, the family experienced many hardships including a catastrophic fire that caused them to lose everything. Her parents then moved the family to “Finn Town” in Virginia, Minnesota to rebuild their lives, and where Marlene spent most of her early childhood. After nine years, the family moved to Cloquet, Minnesota.

Marlene’s parents instilled a love of learning from an early age. Often around the dinner table her father would give out math problems to see who could solve it first. Marlene always wanted to be the first one to answer, and she would often find clever tricks to do her math faster. Beyond academics, she also loved learning the performing arts. In her early years, you may have seen her tap dance or do ballet, heard her sing on the radio, or you may have seen her on stage as an actor in the local play. Once her mind was set, that was it. Marlene always found a way to get what she wanted done.

As a student, Marlene loved helping others and would often arrive early to the classroom to teach arithmetic and spelling to those who needed help. She excelled in school, and she began college at the young age of 16 years old. With a passion for education and children, Marlene attended Winona State Teachers College earning her associates degree in teaching while completing her student teaching in 1st and 3rd grade classrooms in the cities of Robinsdale and Eveleth, Minnesota.

While in college Marlene met Barrett Erickson of Eveleth, Minnesota and they married on April 23, 1955. Shortly after the birth of their first child Sheri, Barry accepted a new job across the country, and the new family moved first to Ventura and later to Oxnard, California. Marlene and Barry had two more children while in California: Stacie and Scott. In 1963, the family of five moved for a year to Corvallis, Oregon, for Barry to earn his Masters of Science in Geophysics from Oregon State University.

In 1966, the family moved to Bellevue, Washington when Barry accepted a position at the Environmental Science Services Administration (later known as NOAA). However, the next 15 years held several unexpected life events. With almost all their children over 10 years old, Marlene and Barry welcomed their fourth child, Kristina. As a Chief Scientist for NOAA in Seattle, Barry was required to spend time at sea for up to 6 months at a time. During those trips, Marlene was the primary caregiver for the family managing a variety of activities including girl scouts, boy scouts, piano, swimming, wrestling, soccer, singing, softball, gymnastics, and she also served as PTSA President for Hyak Junior High School.

At a mere five feet-two-inches tall, Marlene was still a powerful force. In 1977, Barry began what was to be a 3-½ year health journey that put him at times paralyzed and in and out of the hospital with a condition that puzzled the best of doctors for the first couple of years. With three children in college and a young child at home, Marlene was determined to try and meet every need for her husband and her children. In February 1981, Barry passed away from his long battle with histiocytic lymphoma.

Marlene was now a single parent and at a crossroads with no longstanding job to support her family. In 1983, through much grit, determination, sacrifice, and hard work, she returned to school in Minnesota to complete her bachelor's degree and obtain her certification to teach in Washington State.

Upon her return to Washington, Marlene became a substitute teacher for both the Lake Washington and Bellevue School Districts from 1984 through 1990. Once her youngest child was in college, she accepted a full-time teaching position in 1990 where she taught third and fourth grade students at Sunset Elementary in Bellevue. In 1992, she transferred to Bennett Elementary in Bellevue where she taught third, fourth, and fifth grade students for the next nine years until she retired in 2000.

Marlene thrived as an elementary school teacher and enjoyed customizing the learning for each child in her classroom. If the child was ready for geometry, she would find a way to teach them. Marlene inspired many students in her academic role. Over the years she received notes of thanks from her former students who were college bound, thanking her for her inspiration and dedication to their lifelong love of learning.

Above all else, Marlene valued her family and friends. She enjoyed spending time at the family cabin on Lake Wenatchee with almost a half century of memories. As a second Mom to several of her children’s friends, she always opened her warm and welcoming home and provided comfort, support, and laughter.

After retiring from the Bellevue School District, Marlene moved to Sammamish, Washington.

During those years, you would find her playing cards with her family and friends, or with her beloved dog Bella. She also enjoyed the Redmond Senior Center. She would often volunteer in the lunchroom, and she would take classes to re-learn tap dance, to sculpt driftwood, and to write stories and poems. Those tap dance routines would come out sometimes when you were at the supermarket with her, in her kitchen, or any place she wanted to have some fun. Marlene had a unique way of turning moments into memories. Her energy and enthusiasm were contagious, and her love was inspiring. From the stories of her mischievous childhood to the many fits of laughter that could happen at any time with her quirky antics, her knack for storytelling with that twinkle in her eye was truly a gift.

Marlene loved to travel and was willing to go on adventures at a drop of a hat. Whether it be visiting family and friends throughout the US and abroad, accompanying Barry to a speaking engagement in Russia, jumping the car for a last-minute road trip to California, or riding along with her daughter as she scouted for film locations, Marlene loved these adventures. Over the years Marlene had traveled abroad to Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, England, France, Austria, Mexico, Canada, Russia, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Polynesia. Her domestic travels took her to many of the Nation’s states, parks, and monuments.

Marlene was devoted to her family and always demonstrated the values of loyalty, honesty, integrity, accountability, but most of all love. Marlene is preceded in death by her parents, Lillian and Einar; her siblings, Carol Langenbrunner, Alan Manty, and Clayton Manty; and her husband Barrett Erickson.

Marlene is survived by her 4 children and their spouses: Sheri and husband Kevin; Stacie and husband Chuck; Scott and wife Barb, Kristina and husband Kent; her 11 Grandchildren with 6 spouses, 6 great-grandchildren; 13 nieces and nephews; and her two best friends and “sisters” Lorraine and Barbara. Marlene’s family continues to grow with new marriages and children expected. With this large family, Marlene would always ensure everyone got a hug before they left her home. As she would walk around the group, sometimes you were lucky to get that second hug. For by the time she got back around to you, she would occasionally forget who she had already hugged. Those big hugs will be greatly missed.

Over the years Marlene faced a few medical challenges herself. She battled two different types of cancer and a tumor in the brain which she overcame and survived. She would often tell the story of when an angel came down from the ceiling while she was sleeping. Upon seeing this ethereal being, she sat up and said loudly “I’m not ready yet!” and the angel floated back up. This story exemplifies her strong spirit and determination, and her strong connection with God. As a longstanding member of the Episcopalian Church Marlene was a member of St. Margaret’s in Bellevue and Good Samaritan in Sammamish. The last of her struggles was with dementia which was probably the hardest for her as she always prided herself on her good memory.

A Celebration of Life is scheduled for May 7, 2022 at 2pm at Sunset Hills Memorial Park and Funeral Home in Bellevue, Washington. In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions be made to the following organizations to support those living with dementia.

UW Medicine: Memory and Brain Wellness Center Fund supports activities of the Memory and Brain Wellness Center, which helps patients, families and caregivers dealing with memory issues ranging from mild cognitive impairment to advanced dementia.

UW Medicine: Alzheimer's Disease Research Fund supports fellow and junior faculty research development and enhances the research infrastructure of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) at UW Medicine.