Marlys Elaine Johnston

MARLYS ELAINE SEELY JOHNSTON Marlys Elaine Seely Johnston, beloved mother and grandmother, passed away at the age of 86, on Oct. 30, 2016. Born on December 19, 1929 in Wessington, South Dakota to Clarence and Eva Spicer, Marlys was the youngest of siblings Shirley (Hughes) and Leland Spicer. When Marlie was eight, the Spicer family moved to a farm in Battle Ground, Washington. Marlie graduated from Battle Ground High School with the class of 1948. On Dec. 17, 1949, she was united in marriage to Stanley Seely at the Battle Ground Methodist Church. Their first home was in Woodland, Washington. In 1954 they moved to the Yakima Valley where they owned a mint farm, which grew to be one of the largest mint farms in the world, as well as a mint distillery. Marlys was a devoted mother to their four daughters. She supported and encouraged their interests in dance, cheerleading, and school activities. Marlie was the bookkeeper for the Seely farm and she delighted in sewing dresses and dance costumes for her girls, gardening, cooking, designing and building their family home, and socializing with neighbors and friends of the Rosa Dust Dodgers. Stan and Marlie later owned and operated the Hazel Dell Car Wash near Vancouver, Washington. Stan and Marlie loved fishing on their boat, the Sea Bear, Husky football, gardening, traveling to Europe, Hong Kong and Alaska, and RV vacationing in Mexico in the winter. Stan passed away in l997. They enjoyed 48 wonderful years of marriage. During trips to Mexico, Stan and Marlie met George and Mary Johnston, who also made winter trips to Mexico. After Stan, and then Mary passed, George and Marlie discovered that friendship was a wonderful remedy for loneliness. Their friendship blossomed into a joyful love and marriage that took off with fun and new adventures. George died in 2003. Fairway Village in Vancouver became Marlie's home in 2004, where she made many friends and served as hospitality committee chairman of the Fairway Village Ladies Club and enjoyed Red Hat Society events. Marlys spent the last five years living in Lake Forest Park with daughter, Dona. Being closer to family she enjoyed family gatherings, ballgames, tea parties, and dance recitals of her great-grandchildren, and caring for her little dog, Buddy. Marlys is survived by her four daughters, Claudia (Walt) Bigby of Port Orchard, Gail (Ed) Boob of Wapato, Dona Seely of Seattle, and Becky (Dave Grech) Seely of Renton, 10 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. Shortly before she died, nearly all of Marlys' family members gathered around her for a precious celebration in her Harborview ICU room where she reiterated, "I love you all." Marlys is preceeded in death by her parents, Clarence and Eva Spicer; her husbands, Stanley Seely and George Johnston; and siblings Shirley (Edward) Hughes and Leland (Beatrice) Spicer. There is a viewing scheduled at Memorial Gardens Funeral Chapel, 1101 N.E. 112th Ave., Vancouver, WA., on Saturday, Nov. 12th from 12:00 to 8:00. The funeral will begin at 12:30 Sunday, Nov. 13th at Memorial Gardens Funeral Chapel followed by a graveside service in the Evergreen Memorial Gardens Cemetery. "A Celebration of Life" dinner at The Heathman Lodge, 7801 NE Greenwood Dr., Vancouver, WA 98662 will follow the graveside service. Donations can be made to Compassion International, 12290 Voyager Parkway, Colorado Springs, CO 80921.

Marlys Elaine Johnston

December 19, 1929 - October 30, 2016