Marilyn Jean Kolesar

Presbyterian Church has been cancelled, due to weather conditions.

The service will be rescheduled for a later date.

Marilyn was born in the spring of 1924 in Tacoma to Myrl N. Theide and Lester B. Thiede. She had a happy childhood. Both she and her future husband lived in the same apartment house with their parents. They played together as children and she attended Dick’s 4th birthday party. Though they didn’t go to the same grade school, they were pals while attending Jr. High and High School. They graduated from Stadium High School in 1942. They were separated for a while when Dick was drafted into the Army from flying school. Dick and Marilyn were married on February 28, 1945 – and this was the beginning of 67 years of marriage!

Marilyn was a historian, lobbyist, collector, student, housewife and hard worker who believed marriage was a two person activity.

In her lifetime she:

-worked for the Seattle School District placing WWII Vets

-worked as a Girl Scout Leader (including hiking the perimeter of Mt. Rainier)

-collected US coins, stamps, history books

-was an avid collector of artifacts of American Indians and Alaska Eskimos

-collected antique shotguns and pistols

-worked over 30 years as a ski instructor of children

-loved gardening and specialized in rhododendrons

-worked many years in a flower shop

-worked as a volunteer at Children’s Hospital Thrift Shop

-most of all she loved people: family, friends, whoever she met!

All the money she earned went into a common family pot that helped support the many foreign trips she and Dick took over the years

Both Marilyn and Dick shared many activities. They traveled to Europe over 40 times. They went to New Zealand 7 times and Australia 7 times. They have many friends who live in these places.

In short they had a good life together. People rarely thought of them as individuals. They were a pair – Marilyn and Dick.

Marilyn is survived by her husband Richard, brother-in-law Donald, niece Valerie, cousins Scott and Mary Anne deVry and their children Andrea, Andrew and Corrine.

She will live on in the hearts of those who knew her because of the love she generously gave to them.

Remembrances to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Arrangements have been entrusted, to Sunset Hills Funeral Home of Bellevue, WA.