MILL CREEK — Suzanne Shelly lived a life dedicated to friends and family.
Her life’s work was her family, her daughter Lacey Shelly said.
“She was the matriarch of the family, keeping the extended family together with a lot of family functions and a huge Christmas party every year,” Lacey Shelly said. “She made sure that we all got together every year.”
The daughter of an American soldier and English woman, Suzanne Shelly was born Nov. 10 1945 in Grantham, England. Her family eventually made their way back to the United States and then to Edmonds.
As the oldest of six children, Suzanne Shelly was expected to help raise her younger brothers and sisters. She attended Edmonds-Woodway High School where she met Michael Shelly. They dated until after graduation, then got married — a marriage that lasted 44 years.
Suzanne Shelly enjoyed quiet things, simple things, like lunches with friends, shopping or sunbathing.
She also was interested in traveling, and had recently begun to plan a trip to Hawaii.
Earlier in their marriage the couple had visited Cook Island and wanted to return, Lacey Shelly said.
“I remember when they came back when I was 13-years-old,” Lacey Shelly said. “They decorated the house with Hawaiian stuff and both wore sarongs to the family Christmas party.”
Christmas was a special time of year for Suzanne Shelly who went out of her way to make sure that every person who came into the home had a present.
“She had a closet that was always stocked with boxes of chocolates, candles and stuff to give to people who would show up and didn’t have a gift waiting for them,” Lacey Shelly said. “That was just the kind of person she was.”
Suzanne Shelly embodied the term “community mother” who would give gifts or feed anyone who would come to the house.
One thing that Lacey Shelly remembers about her mother is her nonjudgmental attitude toward others. Growing up, she remembered her mother was extremely patient and parented with a gentle and even hand.
“She was very unassuming of people and never, ever judged anyone,” Lacey Shelly said. “Since her death I’ve been trying to draw from that, being less critical and being more like her in that way.”
Suzanne Shelly passed away Oct. 12 from complications arising from ovarian cancer. She was 62.
She was preceded in death by her father, Walter Oates; and nephew, Damon Lowery.
She is survived by her husband, Michael; son, Mike; daughters, Tiffany and Lacey; grandchildren, Trevor, Teagen, Ronan and Avery; mother, Joan; sisters, Carol and Jo; brothers, Gary, Scott, and Andrew.
Reporter Justin Arnold: 425-339-3432 or jarnold@heraldnet.com.
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