Verna Marie Del Grosso

MARIE DEL GROSSO April 12, 1927 ~ July 13, 2016 Marie Del Grosso of Hockinson, Washington, passed away peacefully on July 13, 2016, and joined her late husband, Lloyd (2002). She is survived by their three children: Carol Scheel, Darle (Andy) Bartkowski, and Byron (Linda) Del Grosso. She was proud grandmother to eight, great-grandmother to fourteen, and great-great-grandmother to five. She is also survived by her older sister, Louella Ebien, a very lively and delightful 95 years. Her elder brother, Louis, and Louella's twin, has passed. Marie was born to Jesse and Elva Radford on April 12, 1927, spent her earliest years in southern Oregon and then moved to Boring, OR. She loved being outside and learned to hunt and fish with her father. Marie met Lloyd Del Grosso at Columbia Academy in Meadow Glade, Washington and they were married on the Fourth of July 1944. She worked as a nurse's aide in a Madison, Wisconsin hospital during World War II while Lloyd was in the Army Air Corps. Marie and her father (she called him 'Daddy' all her life) taught Lloyd to hunt and fish after the war. Venison, elk and fish were regular fare on the Del Grosso table - usually legal, but sometimes not. The early years were lean ones. Marie was a woman of many talents. She had a wonderful singing voice, she was a square dance caller, drew and painted winter scenes and wild animals on the big living room windows at Christmas. She wired and plumbed the family house and applied the decorative rock and brick work on the front. She also spent a lot of time on the tractor, spreading manure, putting up hay, and anything else that needed doing. She took care of the calves and kept the books when the family place became a dairy. When her children were all in school, she attended business school and then worked for many years for a local doctor. Marie volunteered with the PTA, led the local Brownie and Girl Scout troops and was a long-time member of the Clark County Dairy Wives. She worked in the County Extension Office for a number of years. Square dancing brought a whole new group of life-long friends. They camped, hiked and fished together. They picked a lot of huckleberries (Lloyd's favorite), although Marie seemed to attract bears and was nobody's first choice for a picking buddy. They rode their trail bikes all over the hills, often with a grandchild on the back. Although she had not a drop of Italian blood, she was the one who spent the most time learning the language. She eagerly learned to cook wonderful Italian dishes from enthusiastic teachers in the kitchens of Lloyd's Italian cousins. She was the one who maintained correspondence. Her Italian/English dictionary was a constant companion. Upon learning of her passing, the message from those Italian cousins was, "We never forget the sweet heart of Mari." She loved spending time with her grandchildren. She taught her two oldest to play baseball, and she spent hours and hours playing card and board games with the oldest to the youngest. Marie thoroughly enjoyed Louis L'Amour westerns, and never missed Dean Martin or Perry Como on television. She spent her last three years in the care of the wonderful family at Prairie Little Home in Vancouver, and her own family will be forever grateful for their love and support. Please join us in honoring her life at Evergreen Memorial Gardens, 1101 NE 112th Ave., Vancouver, Washington 98684. Viewing will take place Saturday, July 23, 2016, from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Funeral services will be on Sunday, July 24, 2016, at 10:00 a.m. with a reception to follow. Please sign her guest book at: www.columbian.com/obits.

Verna Marie Del Grosso

April 12, 1927 - July 13, 2016