Marysville woman unites with family she didn’t know about

It felt like her life had ended. In 1977, Marie Lawson got a phone call that brought the worst possible news. Her son, her only child, had been killed in a car accident.

Norman Ellis, Lawson’s son, was 24. An Army veteran, he had survived the Vietnam War. He had moved from the Seattle area to Kentucky, where his mother was raised and still had family. Relatives helped him get a job there.

And then came that terrible call.

Although she was newly remarried, her grief was overwhelming.

“It was so devastating. I just wanted to die for a long time,” said Lawson, 79, who lives in Marysville with her husband Wayne Lawson.

In June, she received other news that would change her life. This time, it was a letter. And it was a blessing.

The June 12 letter was signed by a man with a familiar name. The writer was the son of a friend Norman Ellis had known from his days at Seattle’s Nathan Hale High School. “I am working on a project for a good friend in need. Sadly, he knows very little about his family,” the letter said. It asked if Lawson is “the mother of Norman K. Ellis (1953-1977).”

“If I am correct about your connection, and you have no interest in knowing this family member — I completely understand,” the letter said.

What family member? “We immediately thought there was a child someplace,” Wayne Lawson said.

Marie Lawson had to find out, even as she and her husband wondered if they were victims of a scam. She called the letter writer, who lives in Oak Harbor, and said “I’m who you’re looking for.”

There are still unknowns in this complex tale, but Marie Lawson has no doubt about her new role — as a grandmother and great-grandmother.

The Lawsons have learned that more than two years before Norman was killed, a woman in the Seattle area was pregnant with his child. They don’t have a clue whether he knew about the baby, or what his relationship with the mother was like.

“I always thought he told me just about everything, but it’s almost impossible to fill in that gap,” Marie Lawson said. She doesn’t think her son would have left had he known about a child.

Steve Ellis was born in August 1974. “She did give Steve his legal name,” Marie Lawson said. Before his death in 1977, Norman Ellis had married a young woman in Kentucky. He and his wife had no children, and she died last year.

Marie and Wayne Lawson recently met Steve Ellis, 38, who in pictures looks remarkably like his grandmother. In short order, they delighted in getting to know his daughter Hannah, 13.

“He looks more like me. Hannah looks like my son,” Marie Lawson said. “We’ve met twice. Hannah melted right into the family.”

Steve Ellis lives in Lynnwood. Marie Lawson said he had no objections to her sharing the story, but chose not to comment. Steve Ellis has told the Lawsons his mother wants no involvement with his new-found family. “I haven’t talked with her,” Marie Lawson said.

How they were brought together again is a little complicated.

It turns out that Steve Ellis’ fiance’s sister is married to the man who wrote the letter, the son of Norm Ellis’ high school buddy.

“His fiance was trying to help him find his roots,” said Marie Lawson, who is putting together an album with photos of her son so Steve can learn more about his father.

There are two sides, especially in matters of the heart. They may never know what happened in the 1970s between Norman Ellis and Steve’s mother. “There are lots of questions we haven’t asked,” Marie Lawson said.

What’s undeniable is her joy at having a grandson and a great-granddaughter.

“It’s hard to explain what this did to my life,” she said. Living far from loved ones in Kentucky, “I always felt alone after my son passed. This has brought a whole new happiness into my life.”

Julie Muhlstein: 425-339-3460, muhlstein@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Trader Joe’s customers walk in and out of the store on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Trader Joe’s opens this week at Everett Mall

It’s a short move from a longtime location, essentially across the street, where parking was often an adventure.

Ian Bramel-Allen enters a guilty plea to second-degree murder during a plea and sentencing hearing on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Deep remorse’: Man gets 17 years for friend’s fatal stabbing in Edmonds

Ian Bramel-Allen, 44, pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder for killing Bret Northcutt last year at a WinCo.

Firefighters respond to a small RV and a motorhome fire on Tuesday afternoon in Marysville. (Provided by Snohomish County Fire Distrct 22)
1 injured after RV fire, explosion near Marysville

The cause of the fire in the 11600 block of 81st Avenue NE had not been determined, fire officials said.

Ashton Dedmon appears in court during his sentencing hearing on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett Navy sailor sentenced to 90 days for fatal hit and run

Ashton Dedmon crashed into Joshua Kollman and drove away. Dedmon, a petty officer on the USS Kidd, reported he had a panic attack.

A kindergarten student works on a computer at Emerson Elementary School on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘¡Una erupción!’: Dual language programs expanding to 10 local schools

A new bill aims to support 10 new programs each year statewide. In Snohomish County, most follow a 90-10 model of Spanish and English.

Logo for news use featuring the Tulalip Indian Reservation in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Woman drives off cliff, dies on Tulalip Reservation

The woman fell 70 to 80 feet after driving off Priest Point Drive NW on Sunday afternoon.

Everett
Boy, 4, survives fall from Everett fourth-story apartment window

The child was being treated at Seattle Children’s. The city has a limited supply of window stops for low-income residents.

People head out to the water at low tide during an unseasonably warm day on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Lighthouse Park in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett shatters record high temperature by 11 degrees

On Saturday, it hit 73 degrees, breaking the previous record of 62 set in 2007.

Snohomish County Fire District #4 and Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue respond to a motor vehicle collision for a car and pole. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, near Triangle Bait & Tackle in Snohomish. (Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office)
Police: Troopers tried to stop driver before deadly crash in Snohomish

The man, 31, was driving at “a high rate of speed” when he crashed into a traffic light pole and died, investigators said.

Alan Dean, who is accused of the 1993 strangulation murder of 15-year-old Bothell girl Melissa Lee, appears in court during opening statements of his trial on Monday, March 18, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
31 years later, trial opens in Bothell teen’s brutal killing

In April 1993, Melissa Lee’s body was found below Edgewater Creek Bridge. It would take 27 years to arrest Alan Dean in her death.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Snohomish in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Man dies after crashing into pole in Snohomish

Just before 1 a.m., the driver crashed into a traffic light pole at the intersection of 2nd Street and Maple Avenue.

Bodies of two men recovered after falling into Eagle Falls near Index

Two men fell into the falls and did not resurface Saturday, authorities said. After a recovery effort, two bodies were found.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.