Born on May 27, 1920 in Seattle, Washington, Marion May Foss passed away peacefully February 21, 2013 at age 92.

Marion was born to Peres and Pearl Dix. She was raised in Seattle and loved spending time in her father’s pharmacy. She was an excellent student and graduated from high school at age 16. She received her bachelor and master degrees in social work from the University of Washington at age 21.

After graduation she worked for the Tacoma Red Cross during WWII placing orphans in new homes. It was during her years of schooling that she became a Christian and this would turn out to be the turning point of her life.

She attended Prairie Bible College in Alberta, Canada for two winters to deepen her knowledge of the Bible. During the summers, she worked at Sammamish Bible Camp teaching children and adults to pay for more Bible school. She made lifelong friends, many of whom would become missionaries. It was during this time that she developed her love of missions and began to better understand the scope of God’s commission.

She married William Foss in 1946. They settled in Tacoma, and this would be her home for the rest of her life. Central Baptist Church would become her church home and the people there became her friends. Missions still were her passion and she kept in contact with missionaries she knew and supported them with her finances, her time and her prayers. The next seven years brought three children. Like everything else in her life, she approached the rearing of her children with lots of energy and self sacrifice. She emphasized education, hard work, humility, sharing with others, and keeping God at the center and those lessons stuck for her children and subsequently her grandchildren.

When her children left home, she went back to school at age 47 and got her second bachelor and master degrees in education at the University of Puget Sound. Her education and years of experience made her an ideal teacher. She taught at Thompson Elementary School for 18 more years and affected the lives of hundreds of kids.

Marion is survived by her three children, Jim (Sue Ellen), Steve (Rosalia) and Linda (Brian) Davelaar, nine grandchildren, and eleven great grandchildren.

The family thanks University Place Care Center for their loving care and a special thanks to Dr. David McCowen for many years of medical care and emotional support.

Memorial services will be held in the Celebration of Life Center at Mountain View Memorial Park, Saturday, March 9, 2013 at 2:00 p.m.

Arrangements by Mountain View Funeral Home