Obituary

Evelyn B. (“Evie”) Maricle, age 94, passed away peacefully on September 4 surrounded by her
children. She was born in Ogden, Utah on December 23, 1927, an early Christmas present, the only
child of Noble and Mildred (Cortez) Bower.
She was raised in Ventura, California, graduating from Ventura High School in 1945. After high
school, she attended Occidental College in Los Angeles, and then transferred to Stanford University,
receiving 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 October 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 4 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,
surrounding her home with many flowers, and was a long-time member of the Mt. Baker Garden
Club. Evie was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution for over 70 years, and was
active in the local chapter, presenting various awards and scholarships to many local high school
students. She 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. She attended numerous school band concerts, drama productions and
other school functions. She was active in the Harmony Elementary PTA, and was the book-keeper
for their lunch program. And she 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 US 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.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Jim, and her son-in-law John Valeri. She is
survived by her children, Rick (Janet) Maricle of Bellingham, Cindy Valeri of Wenatchee, and Rob
(Kim) Maricle of Packwood, WA, 9 grandchildren, and 12 great grandchildren. She is also survived
by her sister-in-law Delores Maricle of Cape Coral, FL.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, October 1st at 3:00 PM 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).