Esther Louise Marzyck

It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of our beautiful, beloved mother, grandmother and friend, Louise Marzyck, who passed away peacefully after a brief illness on September 30, 2024 in Port Townsend, WA, surrounded by her loving family. She was 90 years old.

Esther Louise Grimes, who went by her middle name Louise, was born on Dec. 6, 1933 in Waterloo, Iowa to Francis and Esther Grimes. Louise lived in Waterloo until she was eight years old, when she and her family moved to Spokane, WA, where, as a child and young teen, she loved taking off with her friends on “bike hikes” around the Spokane valley and swimming in the river. She loved music and art, and studied piano for many years. Louise was a super smart cookie and always excelled at school, skipping a grade in elementary school and earning academic achievement awards in both junior high and high school. After graduating with honors from Louis & Clark High School in 1951, Louise went on to attend Washington State College in Pullman, where she majored in sociology and became the first person in her family to earn a college degree. Louise found plenty of time for play, too – she was a proud member of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority and had endless fun participating in various shenanigans with her friends and sorority sisters. At college, she also met the love of her life, Jerry Marzyck. They married in May 1956 and settled in Jerry’s hometown of Richland, WA where they lived happily for the next 35+ years and lovingly raised three children, Catherine, Bev and Jeff.

Once her kids were teenagers, Louise embarked on her career in social work, specializing in geriatrics, and served for many years in various capacities ranging from volunteer to administrator to consultant at the Mid-Columbia Mental Health Center in Richland. During this time, Louise also completed coursework for a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology at Central Washington University.

Upon retirement, Louise and Jerry finally realized their dream of getting out of the desert to live near the ocean, surrounded by evergreens, and in 1991, moved to Port Townsend, WA where they designed and built their own house overlooking Port Townsend Bay and enjoyed the adventure of filling their lovely new home with Louise’s creative decorating vision and Jerry’s beautiful hand-crafted fine cabinetry and furniture. In their free time, Louise and Jerry loved visiting their kids and grandkids, and traveling around both the PNW and abroad, first visiting Mexico and then Eastern Europe, where they met up with daughter Catherine where she lived in the Czech Republic.

Then, tragically, in 1997, Jerry passed away suddenly at the age of only 63. He and Louise had shared their lives and love together for 41 beautiful and happy years. It was a devastating loss, and she missed him to the end of her days.

Louise was a true creative at heart. She was the absolute Queen of Sewing, making amazing clothing for her kids and even many of Jerry’s beautiful shirts and suits. She taught both her daughters to sew, but neither of us ever achieved our mother’s incredible professional-level skills. Louise was also a talented artist, crafter and musician – she excelled at drawing and painting, and we all loved listening to the beautiful classical music she played on her piano.

Among Louise’s many loves were animals, especially cats and dogs. She was almost never without a cat in her life, and was a life-long patron of the Humane Society and ASPCA. She was also loved art, classical music, live theater, old movies, a good murder mystery, playing games with family and friends, keeping up with the latest news and politics, pizza, Italian, Thai and Chinese food, desert before bedtime, and, of course, really good chocolate.

After Jerry’s death, Louise spent her free time volunteering, going to concerts and plays with her two dear college friends, Marilyn and Reita, and hanging out with family and friends, including old Richland pals Jim and Vannie, who’d also moved to Port Townsend. In 2003, Louise’s kids organized a massive surprise party for her 70th birthday, where at least 50 family and friends showed up to help her celebrate her special day and shower her with adoration, a true testament to how truly loved and admired Louise was by everyone who knew her.

Over the years, Louise continued traveling both near and far, enjoying family gatherings at favorite beach houses around Puget Sound, and “Girls Gone Wild” weekends with daughters Catherine and Bev in a lovely old beach cottage on Whidbey Island. She also took several international trips with Catherine, first to Macedonia, Italy and Turkey, then to France and Spain, followed by another trip to the U.K. and Ireland, and a wonderful cruise to Alaska.

Louise led an active life marked by her deep, enduring and devoted love for her husband, kids and family, her life-long friendships with dear friends from her college days and early years in Richland, WA, and her dedication to service to her community. From her early 20s to her mid-80s, she was always involved in volunteering, from various charity and civic activities through the Richland Junior Women’s Club and working on election campaigns for her favorite political candidates to volunteering for causes dear to her heart. These included her involvement in the hospice movement both in Richland and Port Townsend, serving for many years on the Boards of Jefferson Healthcare Foundation’s At-Home Care and Hospice, The Literacy Council of Jefferson County (20 years!), and the Olympic Area Agency on Aging (O3A). In addition, throughout her life, Louise generously supported many other non-profit organizations, particularly those devoted to the arts (especially classical music scholarship funds), wildlife and animal rescue, assistance to the elderly, international crisis and disaster relief, and various medical research foundations.

Louise was known for her love of fun and her droll sense of humor, even cracking jokes up to the very last day of her life. But she was also a very sensitive soul who felt deeply and took things to heart; the devastating and crushing losses of her beloved husband Jerry in 1997, and her dear, sweet daughter Bev in 2022, stayed with her to the end of her days. We will remember Louise most for her gentle, beautiful grace through both thick and thin, for her deep and abiding love for her husband and family, for being the most amazing mother a kid could ever want, for being a wonderful best friend, for her selflessness and abundant generosity, for always putting the needs of others before her own, and for worrying way too much about her children and never enough about herself. Louise truly made the world a much better place; she was adored by all who knew her and we will miss her terribly.

Louise was preceded in death by her parents and both siblings, her beloved husband Jerry Marzyck and dear daughter Beverly Marzyck. She is survived by her daughter Catherine Marzyck, son Jeffrey Marzyck (Kris Cook Marzyck), grandchildren Katy Lenning (Abe Strawn), Claire Lenning (Edgar Medina), Lydia Lenning (Justin Henak), Erin Marzyck, and Jered Marzyck (Hailey Marzyck), and great-grandchildren Jayce and Kaia Marzyck.

We, her family, are so very grateful for her long life and the many years we were able to share with our dear Mother, Grandma and Friend, and the wealth of amusing stories and warm and happy memories of her that we will cherish forever. Louise will always stay in our hearts. It’s a great comfort knowing that, after decades of waiting, she and her one true love, Jerry, are finally together again at long last, and that Bev is there with Dad, and they are now holding our sweet Mom in the eternal embrace of their warmth, light and love. Rest in Sweet Peace, Dearest Louise.