Marcella Hays Fyffe

MARCELLA HAYS FYFFE October 4, 1916 ~ March 8, 2015 At the age of 98 years, Marcella Fyffe went to be with her Lord. Born in Vancouver, WA during the first World War, her life is the story of the history of Vancouver. When she was six months old, the original Columbia River crossing opened to traffic for the first time. She took great pleasure regaling her friends and family with stories of her childhood - riding up and down on the drawbridge, helping her father mend his fishing nets from their houseboat where the Quay now stands, and later escaping from that houseboat splintering from the crushing power of ice as the Columbia River froze over. Marcella's mother, Catherine (Prongue) Hays, died when Marcella was three years old and her life was forever changed. Her Auntie, Iva Hays Norvell, helped raise her as she was shuttled back and forth between the home of her father, Bert Hays, and that of her aunt. Marci grew up in a time when, if you needed to get somewhere, you walked. This gave her a deep and intimate knowledge of the city she so loved, and she could identify the deep heritage of each building in downtown Vancouver, with a historical knowledge few now can rival. In her early teens, during Prohibition, she surreptitiously served alcohol through a secret window from her father's billiard parlor to customers in his men's club. She attended Central Grade School, the brand-new Shumway Junior High, and Vancouver High. In the 1930s, her father surprised her with the family's first car. She walked up to City Hall, paid her one-dollar registration fee, and went home with a driver's license. Never once did she take a driving test, as she gleefully reminded younger generations. During the second World War, she worked in the Kaiser Shipyards, and met the love of her life, a towering 6'3", Harvard-educated, redheaded Scotsman, John Clark Fyffe, at the Castle Club while he was stationed at the Vancouver Barracks prior to shipping out for the European theatre. They were married January 16, 1944. Marci enjoyed boating, visiting her Auntie in Seaside, trips to Minnesota and Hawaii, and cruising with her family. She and John were longtime members of Columbia Presbyterian Church where she sang in the choir for many years, sharing her beautiful soprano voice. A highlight of this experience was traveling to Australia to sing at World Expo 88. This year, Marci was thrilled when ancestry research revealed her roots - especially those of her French-Swiss mother she never knew. After eleven years of marriage, John and Marci were blessed with another redhead in the family - their only child, Diane Fyffe. Marcella is survived by her daughter; son-in-law, Marc Berg; and four grandchildren, Alex, Eric, Lauren, and Jordan Berg. In addition to her parents and aunt, she was preceded in death by half-brother, Wilferd Prongue (1931); and husband, John Clark Fyffe (2000). A Celebration of Life will be held at Columbia Presbyterian Church on Sun., March 29, 2015 at 3:00 p.m. Please sign her guest book at: www.columbian.com/obits.

Marcella Hays Fyffe

October 4, 1916 - March 8, 2015