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MarJean (Andrews) Fairbrook
MarJean (Andrews) Fairbrook, 92, of Yakima died Sunday, May 28, 2017 in Yakima. She was born December 18, 1924 to LaMar Burton Andrews and Lucille Wynn (Evans) Andrews. Her trademark and delight in life was the flaming and curly red hair she had as a young child and young adult. She had nicknames such as “Red” and “Torch.”
MarJean attended McKinley Elementary School, Franklin Junior High and graduated from Yakima High School in 1942. She graduated from Yakima Junior College in 1944. MarJean earned a B.A. in History from the University of Washington in 1946 and was a member of the Alpha Phi Sorority. While attending Yakima Junior College, she met John Fairbrook. It was the day she and a group of her friends were sipping sodas at the local Hazel’s Chocolate Shop when John Fairbrook and a friend walked into the shop. They admired the girls and tossed a coin to see who was going to take whom to the dance. John’s toss earned him a date with the pretty redhead, MarJean.
MarJean and John were married at the St. Michael’s Church in Yakima, June 5, 1948. They lived their whole lives in Yakima and raised three children.
MarJean was a fashionable woman. She had an eye for fine fabric and clothing styles. She was an excellent seamstress, sewing clothes for her and her daughter. She loved to peruse through clothing catalogues to learn about the latest vogue. She would visit her favorite clothing shop, Gretchen’s, at Westpark Shopping Center, after a becoming hairstyle by Debbie at Salon Nouveau next door. Also, she beautifully decorated the interiors of many of her family homes.
Besides fashion, she appreciated art and music. Whether it was a painting, photograph, sculpture, a woodcarving or colorful blown glass there was always room for it in her home. Many of these art pieces were purchased from local artists and from their yearly trips to Cannon Beach and Lincoln City, Oregon. Where’s the best place to watch a Capital Theater performance? You could always find MarJean and John in the front row.
MarJean was a fabulous cook. Especially everyone loved her pizza with her homemade pesto and her homegrown tomatoes.
Her children remember the Emily Post Etiquette book on the book shelf above the kitchen table. She taught us how to be polite and have proper manners, the instruction coming straight from the book. “Sit up straight, elbows off the table when you are eating, stop jiggling your leg, chew with your mouth closed, eat all your food” are just a few of her pearls of wisdom.
She made sure her children towed the line in practicing their piano and completing Saturday chores before they played outside. For example, she oversaw the minutes on the timer for piano practice making sure they didn’t tamper with the dial. As for the chores, one was dusting the many inside louvered doors once a week and another was to iron the pillow cases.
Vocabulary and using proper grammar was important to MarJean. She studied the “Word Power” section of every Reader’s Digest that arrived at the home. She insisted on her children using words in sentences correctly.
Politics was a favorite topic of discussion. She was an informed individual and enjoyed the stimulation of different opinions.
MarJean loved to learn. She took vocabulary and drawing classes at Yakima Valley Community College. She learned how to macramé and knit. The family has many examples of her projects.
MarJean was an active individual. She played bridge with a group of longtime friends regularly for years. She jogged, bicycled and danced a fine fox trot with John. MarJean loved to hike Paradise at Mt. Rainier was her favorite site to hike. She hiked with family and a weekly women’s hiking group on many trails in the Cascades. MarJean climbed Mt. Adams twice at ages 45 and 47 respectively.
MarJean and John were charter members of the Yakima Tennis Club. She played tennis with passion and skill. That ability carried over to table tennis, too. She enjoyed a rigorous game in both sports with family and friends.
Her husband, John, loved to cruise their boat in the San Juan Islands so she became his reliable and skilled first mate, cooking in the galley, dropping anchor and tying up at the dock. She even tried successful rides on water skis encouraged by her then teenage children.
MarJean was truly an elegant and engaging woman. She is loved by many people who have been in her company.
We thank her two wonderful caregivers, Amanda and Belinda, who lovingly cared for MarJean when her mobility and health were compromised. She and her family are grateful for their compassion and support.
MarJean is survived by a sister, Joy Tremper, three children, Rick (Gay) Fairbrook, Susan (Raymond) Paolella and Rob (Darlene) Fairbrook, grandchildren, Sarah (Rainey Johnson) Fairbrook, Scott Fairbrook, Louis (Brooke Hallett) Paolella, David Paolella, Emily (Brad) Shuel and Laura (Keith) Barrack. She is predeceased by her husband, John, grandson Joseph Paolella and daughter-in-law, Sandra Fairbrook.
Memorials may be made to the YMCA, Grace of Christ Church or the favorite charity of the donor, c/o Brookside Funeral Home & Crematory, PO Box 1267, Moxee, WA 98936.
A Memorial Service for MarJean will be held later.
Brookside Funeral Home & Crematory is caring for the family.
Eva A. Smith
PROSSER - Eva A. Smith, 90, of Prosser passed away on Thursday, November 8, 2012 and is now home with her Savior, Jesus Christ. Eva was born on January 10, 1922 in Sebnitz-Saxony, Germany. As a child she would cross the border into Czechoslovakia each week in order to bring back a newspaper for her father. She recounted that the border guards wouldn’t let adults cross unless they had the correct paperwork, but they paid little mind to children who would run back and forth across the border.
In 1928, she immigrated with her family to the United States. Her parents had the idea that more wars were coming to Europe and they were right. After crossing the rough Atlantic Ocean, she remembered having to register at Ellis Island and their family was even detained there a few days until they were finally allowed to enter the country.
By her mid-twenties, she was living in Chicago, Illinois and it was there that she met the love of her life, Lloyd Smith, in 1945. He had just returned home after serving in World War 2 and they were married on February 2, 1946. Eva shared the story that her uncle told them that their marriage wouldn’t last 2 months and he was right... it lasted for 66 years. During that time, she and Lloyd raised three boys, Frank, Perry, and Van Smith. Eva worked on and off at various clothing stores and was a very talented quilter, seamstress, and knitter. Their house was filled with all sorts of craftwork that she had created over the years.
Eva and Lloyd traveled the country by motorcycle, lived in Alaska for 7 years, flew together in their plane and took many hunting and fishing trips with friends. Lloyd always admitted that Eva was a much better shot than he was and they harvested numerous deer together over the years. Eva was a very kind-hearted person. Her sharp wit and tough attitude only added to the humor and love that she extended toward everyone. Even as her Alzheimer’s progressed, you could sense that she was thankful for the visits and kindness shown to her by her church family and friends. We are thankful for her friends at the Grandview Church of Christ, the compassion shown to her by Lower Valley Hospice.
Survivors include her husband of 66 years, Lloyd Smith of Prosser; two sons, Frank Smith and Van Smith; a brother Rudy Lehman of Texas; and a sister, Virginia Schuering.
A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, November 17th, at the Grandview Church of Christ with a luncheon afterwards. Valley Hills Funeral Home in Sunnyside is in care of all arrangements.
Loretta (Rudick) Samuelson
YAKIMA - Loretta (Rudick) Samuelson of Yakima died November 12, 2012 in Yakima, WA.
She was born in Terry, Montana to Herman and Marie Rudick. The family moved several times and eventually moved to Sunnyside, WA where Loretta attended Sunnyside High School. After graduation she worked in the high school office for the principal and superintendent. She then went to work for an attorney in Sunnyside, and in 1950 moved to Yakima where she worked for a firm of attorneys for about twenty years. She married Roy Samuelson in 1975. Roy passed away in May of 1997.
She was a member of First Presbyterian Church of Yakima. In 1944 she became a charter member of Beta Sigma Phi Sorority in Sunnyside before moving to Yakima, and has been an active member of Laureate Chi Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi Sorority since 1980, and later became active in the Alpha Sota Master Chapter.
Loretta enjoyed skiing, hunting and fishing, snowmobiling, bowling, golfing (including a hole in one) and traveling.
Loretta is survived by nieces, Kathleen Dwyer, Debbie (Tim) Jarboe, Karen Quirk, Jackie (Don) Hansen and Sherry (Howard) Huit; nephews, Mike (Dorothy) Rudick, Gary (Patti) Dwyer and Jim (Peggy) Rudick. She was preceded in death by her parents and her sisters Iva Howard and Elvina Stockman, and her brother William Rudick.
Memorials may be made to Yakima Valley Home Health and Hospice or to the Heart Association, or to the donor’s favorite charity.
Funeral Services are pending at this time. Arrangements are being handled by Keith & Keith Funeral Home.
Mary Fern McDonald (Beaulaurier)
YAKIMA - Mary Fern McDonald passed away Nov. 10, 2012 in Yakima. She was born December 23, 1918 in Lewistown, Montana to her parents, Fern and Ann Beaulaurier. She married James R. McDonald on September 4, 1939 in Toppenish. Mary graduated from Toppenish High School and attended Seattle University.
Mary and her husband founded Western Packing Co. with the McDonald brothers in Toppenish. She was the bookkeeper in the early years of the business. Growing up Mary helped her parents at Ferns Photography Studios in Toppenish. Upon retirement they built a large home on the ocean beach and golf course at Salishan, OR. Mary enjoyed playing golf, walking the beach and making dear friends. Mary was a member at Holy Family Church and Yakima Country Club. She was a wonderful daughter, mother, grandmother and great grandmother, and a devout Catholic.
Mary Fern was an elegant decorator and was a superb cook. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband J.R. McDonald, and son, James A. Mc Donald.
There will be a Rosary service Thursday at 7 p.m. at Langevin-Mussetter Funeral Home. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Holy Family Church Friday at 11 a.m. Burial will be held at 2 p.m. at Calvary Cemetery.
Langevin-Mussetter Funeral Home is handling the arrangements.
