Marjorie B. Sutch, 86. died peacefully May 19, 2008, at St. Peter Hospital, Olympia. She was born on Jan. 17, 1922 in Williamsport, Penn., to Linwood and Edna (Jones) Bosler. She graduated from Norristown High School in 1939. On April 29, 1944, Marjorie married the love of her life, George R. Sutch, Jr., the star football player from Norristown H. S. and Temple University.

Marjorie waited for her Marine Corps husband to return from World War II in the South Pacific and Iwo Jima, and then they started what was to be a full and exciting life together. After George finished playing one season of professional football with the Chicago Cardinals, the two newlyweds returned to the East Coast to start a family and raise their four children on the country back roads of Pennsylvania. Marjorie loved her experience and influence in restoring their Linfield fieldstone farmhouse. Along with her husband George, whose skill and labor led to a beautifully restored Pre-Revolutionary home and barn, they provided loving and lasting memories there for their family.

In June of 1964, Marjorie helped encourage her husband when he was offered a business transfer with his company, Container Corporation of America, to relocate to the West Coast. With Marjorie’s pioneer spirit, she influenced her family to accept the challenge before them and head to the Seattle area. They left behind Welikeit Farm and 35 acres, seven horses, many faithful dogs, some sheep, a pig, and chickens to come to a new life of adventures. Marjorie and George and their family settled on Mercer Island and became involved with a new kind of active community life. They continued to give their children exposure to horses and animals which they all enjoyed so much. In addition the family embraced activities of snow skiing and water skiing, boating, and beach life for the first time, and did so with gusto on the mountains, waters, and beaches of Washington state.

Marjorie loved her new home of Washington and claimed Mount Rainier, the Olympics, and the Cascades as her own. She passed on her love of nature to her family. Marjorie and George also discovered Whidbey Island to be a wonderful place to spend weekends and summers with their family and purchased a home at Lagoon Point on Whidbey which they enjoyed over the years. One of Marjorie’s favorite pastimes was walking the beach in front of her Lagoon Point home looking for agates, favorite shells and pieces of driftwood. Her interests included watercolor painting, photography, and archeology. She particularly prided herself in going on an archeological dig in the area through Skagit Community College. Never forgetting from whence she came, Marjorie reinforced our lessons in American history by giving us an appreciation of our country and our founding fathers.

Marjorie was knowledgeable about Colonial American antiques and was a collector of beautiful pine furniture of that period. After her husband George died in 1987, Marjorie sold their beach home and moved up the road to Oak Harbor to live for the next ten years. She continued on with her interest and passion for race horses which she and George had just gotten involved with before his death. She purchased five beautiful race horses over the next several years, running them at Longacres and Emerald Downs and providing all the family with great excitement. Marjorie encouraged her children to embrace their opportunity to higher education and all four of them were blessed with college educations.

In 1998 Marjorie left Whidbey Island to live at Pacific Regent Retirement Condos in Bellevue, for the next ten years where she enjoyed playing bridge and renewing former area friendships. August of 2007 she and her family made the decision to move her to Olympia to The Sequoia Assisted Living Community to be closer for family care. It was a year of great health challenges, but she met these changes with courage and grace. It was a time of great love and bonding for the entire family. Our Mother, Grandmother, and Oma deeply loved each one of us in a way to make us feel very unique and special. She always was interested and happy for our individual successes and accomplishments, and also supported us through occasional life struggles with her inner strength and faith. She had a good sense of humor and was famous in our family for telling stories, doing magic tricks, and using her witty expressions at the right time. Marjorie was especially fond of little children and their concerns. She delighted in the family’s new generation of great-grandchildren coming behind her. Marjorie is survived by her four children: Lynn S. Tichenor (Chuck) of Lacey, Sally S. Walker (Dee) of Woodinville, George R. “Chip” Sutch III (Ana Clothier) of Redmond, and Nancy S. Knight (David) of Carnation. Eight grandchildren: Charles (Heather), Mark (Stacey), Ben (Kimber), Andy (Joan), Sarah (Rick), Russell, Philip, and Jae (Keone). Seven great-grandchildren: Jacob, Hannah, Alex, Joshua, Jaxson, Owen and Kainoa. Marjorie leaves a sister, Virginia Doane of Gainesville, Ga., and a brother, Linwood (Barbara) Bosler of Doylestown, Penn., and a brother-in-law, Charles Ford of Queenstown, Md. Also numerous nieces and nephews. Her sister Leah Ford preceded her in death. Our Mother gave us all “wings and roots” and leaves us with a beautiful life legacy with which to remember her. Thank you, Mother. We love you. Private family funeral services were held at the Coupeville United Methodist Church on May 23. Marjorie was buried beside her husband at Sunnyside Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the Whidbey Animal Improvement Fund.