Marilyn Gibbons Sherry

Marilyn Margaret Gibbons Sherry

Our beloved, Marilyn, aptly passed away during one of the greatest thunder storms to ever hit the Seattle area. Irish Catholic to the core, she was one of the sweetest people you would ever meet – unless you crossed her kids, her Church or her McKees Beach and then she was passionate, resolute, and diligent. In her last days, this Holy Names Girl, was surrounded by family in love, song, and a river of tears, especially from her O’Dea Boy and love of 70 years, Denton.

Marilyn’s family were early settlers of south western Washington State in Wollochet Bay and the now abandoned lumber town,

Bordeaux. Raised in St. Catherine’s Parish with her late brother, Tommy Gibbons and sister, Patty Coogan during the depression, she learned a frugality that gave her the ability to pinch a penny.

Marilyn coached girls’ for decades to ensure equal access for her daughters to athletics. She then fought for the full integration of Title IX in CYO sports. She testified to the state for support for education of children with learning disabilities. She chaired many an auction or committee at most of the local Catholic high schools, to safeguard continued enrollment for her less than perfect children. At over 50, she decided to go to college and earned her AA from Shoreline Community College where she then worked in their library for many years.

Residents of the inner Puget Sound are forever left her legacy of clean water. When the oil magnate, ARCO intended to bring a refinery into her beach and the closed inlet of the Port Susan Bay, she conceived a resistance group and organized neighbors to Save Port Susan. This mother of six was a squeaky wheel and lawyer’s nightmare. Atlantic Richfield under- estimated the lady, no more than 110 pounds soaking wet - with children in tow, and did not pay attention to the details that she did. She helped beat ARCO and the refinery, which would have been at Kayak Point State Park, is now at Cherry Point.

Her talents included creative left-overs, beer bottle art, coupon clipping, and a sassy sneakiness that would have impressed the KGB.

She left her children: Pamela (Dan Morrison), Paula Dietrich (Karl), Sue Sherry, Patrick Sherry (Stephanie), Colleen Milne (David) and Nancy Baker (Jeff ), a deep faith, tenacity, huge hearts, and quirky senses of humor. She instilled upon her grand- children: Nellie Karlberg Thompson (Reidar), Katie Sandberg Kleinman (Kyle), Claire Karlberg, Angela Ward, Justine Sherry (Ruben Martins), Justin Milne, Jason Milne (Feliciti), Alin Harmon, Lauren Milne, Veronica  Sherry, Moira Sherry, Rosalie Sherry, Ruth Karlberg, Grant Baker, Kevin Milne, Marco Baker and Maya Baker, a joyful love of the Fourth of July and Saint Patrick’s Day and knowledge that blankies and Rosaries are sacred. Her great- grandchildren: Jordyn, Thijs, Indy, Aric, Noah, Lilja, Emma, and Karlee have been given parents and grandparents who learned from Marilyn how to love ferociously, pray over them continuously, and that life has a song for every occasion.

Alzheimer’s was a slow and painful good-bye but in her last days, she handled dementia well. She took a bad fall which ultimately helped take her life. She firmly believed that death is followed by a new and better life so would never wear black to a funeral. You are invited to any of the Irish Catholic celebrations of Marilyn – bring your singing voice, colorful outfit, designated driver, and Kleenex.

Funeral Mass will be celebrated Tuesday, June 6, 2017, at Immaculate Conception Parish, 2501 Hoyt Ave, Everett, WA 98201 at 11:30. It will be preceded by Rosary at 11 a.m. A Celebration of her life will immediately follow at the Everett Yacht Club from 1-6, 404 14th St, Everett, 98201.