Obituary of Marjorie Heasley

Marjorie “Marge” Heasley passed away due to advanced dementia on January 29, 2022, in her home in Olympia, Washington.  She was born on September 28, 1925, in Weed, California, to Thomas Edgar Phillips and Agnes Josephine Murdock Phillips.  Marjorie graduated from Weed High School in 1943, then she and her family moved to west Portland, Oregon, where she attended Northwestern School of Business, graduating in 1946. 

 

Marge met her husband-to-be, Lawrence “Larry” Heasley, through her younger brother, Dick. They were married on July 16, 1948, in Portland. From the time of her marriage in 1948, she lived in Beaverton, Oregon, where she and Larry raised their three children.

 

Marge worked as an office clerk for Cobb and Mitchell in Portland from 1946 until 1949, when her first child was born. In 1956 when her third child was two years old, she went back to work for Willamette Industries in downtown Portland as an accountant, or a “log counter,” as she'd fondly refer to it; she worked there until she retired in 1982.  She also did the bookkeeping for her husband's charter fishing business. After her retirement, she and Larry moved to China Hill in Ilwaco, Washington, where they lived from 1982 to 2018.  

 

Marge was an accomplished seamstress at an early age, and she could sew just about anything, from tailored coats to evening dresses. She loved making chocolates, candies, and cookies, as well as teaching her daughter and granddaughters how to bake. She also loved crafts, such as crocheting, resin art, painting, and stain glass.  She loved knitting so much she bought a knitting machine and made commercial-grade sweaters. In her retirement years, she made 107 furry teddy bears with jointed arms and legs for family and friends. Also, she loved to play golf! She was a member of both Surfside Golf Course and the Peninsula Golf Course women’s leagues for many years. She always walked the course, never rode! 

 

Marge was known for remembering every family member`s birthday, and for handing out gummy treats for every visiting grandchild and neighbor child, hence the name “Gramma Gummy.” Also, she was an inspiration as she faithfully went to the gym three times a week from the age of 66 in 1991 until her stroke in November 2017, at the age of 92. She returned to the gym for two more years after recovering from her stroke. She enjoyed being “ribbed” and she will be remembered for sassy come backs.  

 

Marge is survived by sons, Dan Heasley of Ilwaco, Washington, and Darryl Heasley of Bothell, Washington; daughter, Shirley Rheault of Olympia, Washington; seven grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren, and 10 great-great-grandchildren.

 

She was predeceased by her husband, Larry Heasley (passed April 7, 2018); parents, Thomas and Anges Phillips; sisters, Rosalie Lee Born, Josephine Kegg, and Marry Alice Selby; brothers, Robert “Bob” Phillips, and Richard “Dick” Phillips. 

 

A Celebration of Life will be held July 16, 2022, 2:00 p.m. in the clubhouse at Peninsula Golf Course, 9604 Pacific Way, Long Beach, WA 98631.  Friends are welcome.  Per Marge’s wishes, her ashes will be sprinkled in the woods between holes 2 and 4 at the conclusion of the celebration, which is taking place on her and Larry’s anniversary.

 

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