Marjorie Martin Skrinde

Marjorie Eleanor Martin Skrinde was born in Boston on August 18, 1932. She was the fifth of seven children born to Norwegian immigrants Martha Hansen-Strand Martin and Wilhelm Martin (originally Skarpaas). Martha played the piano, and Marjorie grew up in a house filled with singing and joke-telling. She never lost her love of a good (or bad) joke.

Marjorie worked as a bookkeeper at a bank for ten years, putting aside her dream to go to college in order to help support her family. She was good at her job, eventually supervising a staff of ten people. During that time, at the insistence of her mother, she went to a Norwegian “syttende mai” (17th of May) dance. There she met a tall blond PhD candidate from MIT named Rolf. He was instantly drawn to the quick-witted brunette in the blue dress, perhaps sensing she would match him mentally and complement him emotionally. Which she did, for 58 years.

Rolf came to rely on Margie’s canny assessments of people and situations. With her can-do attitude and sharp mind, she could solve nearly any problem that came her way. After a few months of dating, she took her first airplane ride to visit Rolf at his new job at Washington State University. They decided to marry a week later. She never went back to the bank.

In 1965, Rolf suggested he and Marge pack up their three small children—the youngest still in diapers—and move to Thailand for two years. She said Yes. In 1967, the family traveled for months throughout Asia and Europe, with Marge keeping her toddlers from falling off of the Great Pyramid, the Taj Mahal, the Eiffel Tower, and many hotel balconies.

The family subsequently lived in Amherst, Iowa City, and Jacksonville, FL, before coming to Seattle. Marjorie coordinated the moves, decorated their homes, sewed clothes, cooked meals, balanced the checkbook, drove the kids everywhere, adopted stray cats, and still took college courses, joined book clubs, and at various times worked with the League of Women Voters and the Garden Club.

After moving to Seattle in 1977, Marjorie became very active in the Lutheran Church, first at Prince of Peace, then at Bethany, and finally at Luther Memorial. Marjorie was president of the Woman’s Circle for many years. In this capacity she coordinated fund-raising and other charitable activities: She spearheaded the production of a cookbook, made quilts, sent clothing to Africa, visited the Hearthstone, performed in plays and pageants, and made countless batches of cookies and cakes. Marjorie took particular pleasure choosing and wrapping Christmas presents for children who otherwise wouldn’t have any, remembering her own childhood as a little girl who couldn’t afford a pretty doll or a new book.

Marjorie could tell a bawdy story and still be a lady. She was loyal, spoke her mind, and took a stand when she saw injustice. She weathered the roughest part of her life with the grace and grit she had displayed throughout her life. She had to grieve her husband at the same time she was losing her ability to remember things and think clearly. But she never stopped fighting, never stopped trying to understand and to be understood. In the end, she still recognized her family, she still laughed at a joke, and she could still say I love you.

Marjorie is survived by her three devoted children, Kirsten, Karen, and Rolf, two sisters, Alice and Thelma, and many nieces and nephews.

The family would like to express special gratitude to Liliana Petrescu, Carolyn Fuqua, Samantha Ledgister, Charmaine Brown, and all the staff at Serenity Heights for their extraordinary care and love of Marjorie. When Marjorie had lost so much, they made a new home and family for her, and she found some peace. She loved them, and we do, too.

Donations in Marjorie’s memory can be made to Luther Memorial Lutheran Church https://www.luthermemorialseattle.com, or to an Alzheimer’s or animal charity.