Marvella Mae Grady

Marvella Mae (Hauge) Grady passed away peacefully on November 3, 2024 after a many year journey with Alzheimer's disease. Up until the end Marvelous Marvie maintained her kindness, grace, compassion, vivacious sense of humor, sass, appreciation of beauty, love of family and friends, and gratitude for her long life, full of wonderful and varied experiences.

Marvella’s life can best be encapsulated by the values that defined her every day - she was a trailblazer, a woman of faith, family, friendship, resilience, and more than anything love. In her 90 years here with us she experienced an abundance of setbacks and triumphs, facing them all with a fierce tenacity that inspired all who knew her.

Born May 11, 1934 in Ada, Minnesota, Marvie was the 12th of 13 children. As a toddler, Marvie experienced her earliest significant loss when her mother Mary Catherine “Mae” died of cancer. Mae’s passing forever altered the direction of Marvie’s life. In the early years after her mother’s passing, Marvie and her young siblings stayed in Ada and were cared for by their father and by church families’ foster care. At age 8, Marvie’s brother Cornelius “Curly” returned to Ada to gather up the youngest Hauge children, and drive them cross-country to Kent, WA to be raised by their oldest sibling Catherine “Sis” Braunschweig. This intergenerational household came to define family where siblings, nieces, nephews, aunts and uncles all intertwined into one dynamic family.

These formative years in Kent fostered the feisty, fearless, sassy, hilarious personality mom came to be known for. In high school, she loved dancing, singing and musical theater, where she was often compared to Hollywood glamor girl Sandra Dee both for her breathtaking beauty and natural talent.

Marvie’s trail-blazing spirit surfaced as she was coming of age - she was the first of her family to attend college at Seattle University. Marvie had a great interest in flying, but women weren’t allowed to be pilots; undeterred, Marvie went to college for two years - a requirement to be a stewardess for United Airlines. While a student at Seattle U, Marvie met a dashing young Irish engineering student on the GI Bill, Tom Grady.  After a whirlwind romance and starting her flight attendant career, Marvie married the man and their life together commenced.

Marvie and Tom bought a beautiful new home on Capitol Hill near the Seattle University campus. Here they developed many lifetime friendships filled with parties, dancing and Marvie’s love for entertaining. It was in Seattle where the first two of Marvie and Tom’s seven children were born, bringing much joy to the growing family and the end to Marvie’s career with the airlines - as married women were not allowed to be stewardesses at the time. 

In 1959 Marvie and Tom took another leap of faith, with Tom leaving his job at Boeing and moving the family to Sunnyside, WA to begin work as a salesman for a brother-in-law who owned office supply stores in Yakima and Sunnyside. Marvie enjoyed being a stay at home mom as she welcomed four more children in Sunnyside. She established deep roots and a thriving community, becoming very active with the St. Joseph Catholic Church, bridge club, Elks Lodge and more. In 1965, while pregnant with her seventh child, Marvie and Tom opened the store and mom returned to work full-time. While Tom built a used car-dealership out on the highway, Marvie blazed the trail for female entrepreneurs and became the chief business operator of Valley Office Supply and Hallmark shop for the next 30 years. During this time she held many leadership positions in the local business community including President of the Chamber of Commerce. Marvie’s reputation as a business owner highlighted her often contradictory personality and skill - she was both revered and feared in equal measure. She was a strong woman in a man’s world, fierce and fearless.

She was a woman who dared to speak her mind when women were expected to be silent, she was sexy and sassy when women were expected to be demure, she negotiated bank loans and business deals when women weren’t allowed to own a credit card in their own name. She did all of this while still pursuing her love of theater - acting, singing and dancing in the local musicals, hosting bridge club, volunteering at church, helping the nuns at St. Joe’s.

In December 1972 the unimaginable happened, and beloved son Murphy passed away from a brain tumor at age 12, this loss proved to be the unraveling of Marvie and Tom’s marriage and they separated soon after. However, in the great theater tradition that Marvie embraced, their love story was complex, it had a beginning, a middle and an end, just not necessarily in that order. During the “in-between” time of Marvie and Tom’s separation - Marvie’s focus remained squarely on providing for her children, keeping the home and business together, expanding her network of close friends and family who lifted her up, encircled the family with love, and cheered her children on as they left the nest one by one. 

In 1985, on the anniversary of their first marriage, Marvie and Tom remarried at the Chapel of Love in Reno with all their children at their side, combining their love for each other, their children, and playing cards all at the same time. In the eyes of God and the church, Marvie and Tom’s marriage always remained.

Marvie decided to turn the lights off for the last time at the Hallmark shop in 1994 so she and Tom could enjoy their much deserved time together. They spent many happy winters in Yuma AZ where mom continued to entertain during community happy hours and dinners together. She reclined pool side, danced, played cards, and kept all head’s turned with her impeccable style and movie-star looks.  The warm spring and summer months were spent in Sunnyside where she put her life skills to good use running St. Joe’s food pantry while cooking and delivering meals every week for dear friends as they aged. 

It was also during these golden years where she could truly embrace the joys of being Grandma Sunny - her grandchildren were her greatest treasure, and in these years she could play, love, and connect, unburdened by overwhelming responsibility. Marvie’s love grew more radiant with each passing year.

The great love affair between Marvie and Tom transitioned in November 2013 with Tom’s passing. Sadly, it also revealed the extent to which Alzheimer’s was robbing Marvie of her memory and cognitive ability. Her children quickly understood Marvie would never be able to live alone. It was time for her children and grandchildren to repay just a tiny fraction of the care back to Marvie. For several years, Marvie was able to remain in her Sunnyside home with the help of caregivers, family, and friends who became family, with her children and grandchildren rotating weekends. During these times Marvie still loved to dance at the Eagles and lunch with the ladies. As her decline progressed, daughter Tamera moved to Sunnyside to become her full-time carer. When that proved to be too much - we moved Marvie to the west side of the state. Marvie lived with daughter Terese in Silverdale and Tamera in West Seattle, each half-time as they shared caregiving duties. 

In 2018 with her memory all but gone, and physical needs too great, Marvie moved into an Alzheimer's care facility. For these last years, while the ravages of Alzheimers diminished her, she didn’t go without a fight. She continued to dance and sing as long as her body allowed, she never lost her sense of humor, and her easy laughter and comedic timing endeared her to all her caretakers, residents, and staff. Her daughter Terese was her nearly daily companion and managed her care on behalf of all Marvie’s children, ensuring that Marvie received the quality of attention and living she deserved. Two weeks prior to her sacred transition she was placed on hospice. In a visit with her daughter Shannon a couple days later, Marvie, guided by the holy spirit, uttered a single lucid sentence, “I just have one thing left to do, and then I can die.” A few minutes later, to make damn sure she was heard, Marvie said for the second time, “I just have one thing left to do, and then I can die”. On Thursday, October 31 that “one last thing” occurred as a priest administered the last sacrament, the Anointing of the Sick, freeing her soul of her earthly burdens. In the next 24 hours, all her children and dozens of grandchildren assembled by her side. For three days she was surrounded by the people she loved as stories were told, prayers offered, tears shed, kisses shared. At just before noon on Sunday, November 3rd, 2024 she was peacefully called home and into the warm embrace of her savior.

She was preceded in death by her husband Tom Grady, son Thomas Murphy Grady jr., granddaughter Kristin Schoos, parents Mary Catherine and Louis Hauge, siblings Catherine Braunschweig, John Hauge, Cornelius “Curley” Hauge, Neon Hauge, Severin “Bud” Hauge, Hilda (Hauge) Wolf, Florine “Flo” (Hauge) Davies, Louis J. Hauge, Bertine Hauge, Andrew Hauge, and Francis Hauge. She is survived by sister Alice (Hauge) Myers; children Michelle Grady Jacobs (Rick), Tamera Grady O’Hara (Stephen), Ali Grady Schoos (Gil), Terese Grady Moon (Steve), James Grady, daughter-in-law Colette Regan Grady, and Shannon Grady Martsolf; grandchildren Tana Waymire, Megan Mauss, Lauren Fortin, Cory Jacobs, Amanda Jacobs, Thomas O’Hara, Shannon O’Hara, Brian Schoos, Skyler Schoos, Devon Schoos, Adam Moon, Erin Treacy, Alex Moon, Hannah Goff, Nickie Kotlar, Becca Evans, Shannon Grady, Blaine Weber, McKinley Martsolf, and Finn Martsolf; and great-grandchildren Declan Waymire,Chayla Mauss, Taylor Mauss,  Adeline Fortin, Hank Fortin, Mykee Jacobs, Nivea Hernandez, Charlie Schoos, Will Schoos, Meredith Schoos, Caiden Peterson, Kellen Peterson, Lillian Quinn, Isla Moon, Isaiah Moon, Griffey Moon, Mateo Kotlar, Olivia Kotlar, Emerson Evans, Larsen Evans, and Wesley Evans.

Funeral Arrangements made with Smith Funeral Home. If you’d like to make a donation in Marvie’s honor, we gratefully recommend a contribution to the Alzheimer's Association to support research into ending this horrible disease. www.alz.org

Viewing and visitation will be held Thursday, November 7, 2024 from 4-7 p.m. at the Smith Funeral Home in Sunnyside, Washington, with a Recitation of the Holy Rosary at 6:00 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be Friday, November 8, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. at the Saint Joseph Catholic Church, in Sunnyside Washington, with a graveside to follow at Lower Valley Memorial Garden Cemetery, in Sunnyside, Washington. Those wishing to sign Marvella's online memorial guest book may do so at www.funeralhomesmith.com  Smith Funeral Home is in care of arrangements. 

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