Obituary of Marylene Statham

Marylene Statham, 83, of Buckley, WA, passed away early in the morning of August 9, 2021, after a noble battle with lung cancer, surrounded by family and friends.  Marylene was born on December 21, 1937, in Dallas, Texas.

She met and later wed Larry Wolter, going on to have 7 children, Pamela, Rhonda, Kurt, Lori, Kevin Debra, and Karen. 

Her second marriage, to Edward Statham, brought Lisa and Deanna, Ed’s daughters, into her loving fold. 

Marylene was Christmas incarnate.  She loved the holiday, decorating her home to rival that of Santa himself.  She drew those nearby into the magic.

Her home’s appearance was always in flux.  Many a weekend was spent moving the furniture into a new configuration, that being whatever vision Marylene had captured in her mind.  A variety of children nephews, friends, or whomever was in the area at the time, or were convinced to help, did the moving and rearranging.  Often a particular configuration took several moves to get right.

She had many friends who loved her and will dearly miss her.  She and Ed lived for years in Clarkston, WA and later in Lacey, WA.  They reached out and touched many people, people who became their close friends.   People from their church, and people on their street came to share in the brightness, wit and strong will of Marylene. 

Marylene was a passionate quilter and when she wasn’t filling those around her with warmth and kindness, she could be found working on a quilt or knitting something wonderful.

She was a beautiful lady, full of grit and grace . . . a loving mother, wife, friend.  She was GG to many more than just her actual six great grandchildren. 

There were those times of baking at the holidays, with the house filled with magical smells and friendly, loving sounds. 

There were those Dallas Cowboys for years and then the Seahawks, and the Mariners. 

She loved lavender fields.  The lavender flower represents serenity, calm, grace, devotion, silence, and purity.  It epitomizes tranquility and relaxation, and is used to signify femininity, grace, and elegance. 

Marylene loved hummingbirds, a bird that symbolizes joy, healing, good luck, and messages from spirits, along with other special qualities.

Marylene’s laughter, her smile, her little sayings will be missed. . . ‘Live life in full bloom’ . . . ‘You are not broken, just bruised’ . . . ‘to admit shame and be better than it’. 

Words cannot express the sadness, or the emptiness that exists without her.  She was such a part of our worlds while here, and her memory will be part of our worlds from this time forward. 

Marylene fought her greatest and final battle with mettle, determination, and fierceness.  She still had that sense of humor and love for those around her up until the end.  She will be sorely missed. 

On the day after Marylene left, Rhonda and Pam saw a hummingbird hovering outside, appearing to look in the window; a message from Marylene that all is well now, and she is safely home.

 

                      “What is life?  It is the flash of a firefly in the night.  It is the breath of a buffalo in the             wintertime.  It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset”

 ― Crowfoot Blackfoot Warrior Chief 1890

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