Evie Maricle
Evelyn B. “Evie” Maricle, age 94, passed away peacefully on Sept. 4 surrounded by her children.
Evie was born in Ogden, Utah on Dec. 23, 1927, an early Christmas present, the only child of Noble and Mildred (Cortez) Bower.
Evie was raised in Ventura, California, graduating from Ventura High School in 1945.
After high school, Evie attended Occidental College in Los Angeles, and then transferred to Stanford University, where she earned a BS degree in nursing in 1950. She then worked as an RN in the Los Angeles area.
Betty Erickson, a nursing school friend of Evie’s, and Betty’s husband Dave introduced Evie to one of Dave’s army buddies, Jim Maricle. The two hit it off, and were married on Oct. 2, 1954 in Ventura. They immediately headed north (their honeymoon), so Jim could take up his new position as a chemist at the new Mobil refinery in Ferndale.
In early 1955, they bought a home near Cedarville on Goshen Road, Cedarville Road today, that they called the Land o’ Goshen. They would share that home for the next 65 years.
Evie worked as an OR nurse at St. Luke’s Hospital in Bellingham until their first child, Rick, was born.
A year-and-a-half later, daughter Cindy joined the family, and four years later son Rob completed the family.
Evie had many interests, in addition to her family, to keep her busy. She was an avid gardener, and surrounded her home with many flowers, and was a longtime member of the Mt. Baker Garden Club.
Evie was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution for more than 70 years, and was active in the local chapter, presenting various awards and scholarships to many local high school students.
Evie also loved music, and was a supporter of the Bellingham (Whatcom) Symphony, and a long-time member of the Bellingham Music Club. She was also the organist at Goshen Community Church for many years.
Evie was involved with many of her children’s activities. She was a leader for Camp Fire Blue Birds, and a Cub Scout den mother.
Evie attended numerous school band concerts, drama productions and other school functions. She was active in the Harmony Elementary PTA, and was the bookkeeper for their lunch program.
Evie also was the camp nurse when her children attended Nooksack Bible Camp.
Evie and Jim were members of the Antique Automobile Restorers’ Club, and they were avid fans of traditional jazz, attending many jazz festivals throughout the western US.
Their travels also included family vacations, covering most of the western U.S. and British Columbia. They explored most of the inlets, bays and islands of the Inside Passage in their boat the Marlin Too.
They also traveled further afield, with several trips to Europe, Africa, the Caribbean, and Puerto Vallarta.
Evie was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Jim, and her son-in-law John Valeri.
Evie is survived by her children, Rick (Janet) Maricle of Bellingham, Cindy Valeri of Wenatchee, and Rob (Kim) Maricle of Packwood, nine grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren. Evie is also survived by her sister-in-law Delores Maricle of Cape Coral, FL.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, Oct. 1 at 3 p.m. at Rome Community Bible Church.
Memorials can be made to the Lighthouse Mission, PO Box 548, Bellingham, WA 98227, or the Salvation Army, P.O. Box 9219, Seattle, WA 98109.
