Marjorie Anne James

.Marjorie Anne (Kingrey) James Wenatchee, WA Marjorie Anne (Kingrey) James passed away peacefully, surrounded by her adoring family, on March 23, 2011. Marge was born March 1, 1927, to Edward and Elizabeth Anna Kingrey in Twin Bridges, MT, the third of nine children. She was born of hearty Irish and English stock and was always proud of her Irish heritage. Marge was the consummate tomboy, spending as much time as she could outside with her brothers and friends. With her short, cropped hair and rolled up dungarees, she helped her dad drive sheep by horseback into the Ruby Valley in Montana, then gather them up in the fall. She had fiery red hair and was sometimes accused of having a temper to match. She always said she would rather be outside doing anything, than inside messing with her hair, makeup or something girly. Marge loved to dance and won more than one contest with her older brother, Bert. She remained close with her siblings, Bert, Ethel, Betty, Speed, Faye, Gloria, Leo and Billy, throughout her life. She met the love of her life, Paul E. James, in Miles City, MT and married him shortly thereafter. They were never far apart, working as well as playing together and they loved each other dearly. They were married for 50 years. Marge and Paul were the proud parents of three children, JoAnn, Paulette and Frank. Marge used to joke that people thought they had three boys, as Paul would often refer to the kids as Jo, Pat and Frank. Paul enjoyed camping and fishing and Marge dutifully accompanied him. The children were allowed to roam and explore the Madison Valley in Montana. Among other enterprises, Marge and Paul ran a restaurant called the 'Dew Drop Inn' in Phillipsburg, MT. Frank remembers waking to a delightful smell and coming downstairs in the morning to find the whole house covered with homemade doughnuts for the restaurant. As the kids grew older, Marge and Paul sent their daughters to school and let both their future sons-in-law skip high school to go waterskiing on Mayfield Lake with the family boat. Marge began attending a Memorial Day weekend party with her son, Frank and family, when he was in medical school and continued to attend the "Ft. Warden" party for the next 25 years. She adored spending time at Ocean Shores with grandchildren, digging for clams, fishing and playing with the kids. In Marge's world, there was always room for another person at the table, always a bed to be found, always enough love to go around. The friendships she formed were varied, lasting and often lifelong. Marge and Paul made quick trips to see family and friends and grandchildren far and near and couldn't resist being among the very first people to hold those new great-grandchildren as they came. The first words out of Marge's mouth, after "Hello love," or "Hello sweets" were "What can I do to help?" She worked circles around everyone she met, and was nicknamed The Energizer Bunny. Marge and Paul owned many businesses together over the years. At their retirement, they owned J & C Coin and Stamp Co., in Wenatchee, WA. She loved adventure and travel and was the first person to say "Yes, ME!" when anything was being planned. She traveled extensively in the United States, visited Australia with her sister, England and Ireland with her daughter, Belgium, France and the Netherlands with a granddaughter, France with her son and granddaughter and England and Scotland with another dear friend. She loved visiting New York City, had a blast dancing on a Caribbean cruise and was braver than we knew, when she swam with dolphins in Mexico. She took many of her grandchildren to Disneyland, a place she loved, probably because she was a great big kid herself. Her laugh was infectious. She adored her children and her tons of nieces and nephews. She was called "Auntie," "Grandma," "GG," or "Nanny" by more people than one could count. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that her grandchildren (and later her great-grandchildren) were the light of her life and her top priority. She taught all her grandchildren to drive a stick shift, often before their 16th birthday. It is rumored, she taught them to swear as well. Every one of her grandchildren thought they were her favorite kid, because she often told them that, and then said "but don't tell anyone else..." She had a quick wit and was always ready to play a game of cards or cribbage, go for ice cream or a latte, try riding a skateboard, teach a great-grandkid to throw a baseball or shoot a basketball, give cross-country skiing a whirl, or whatever else was on the agenda. Every one of her "kids" would use a different adjective to describe her, and they would probably all be right. She was vivacious, clever, naughty, sweet, inspirational, radiant, loving and courageous. She enriched the lives of those she came in contact with, was loved dearly and will be missed more than words can say. Marge is survived by her children, Mike and JoAnn Walker of Wenatchee, Paulette James of Sea-Tac and Dr. Frank and JiaSong James of Bellingham, WA; grandchildren, Michele (Chreston) Knutson, Ed (Elaine) Myers, Annette (Scott) Eggers, J. Michael (Kiley) Walker, George (Kit) Myers, Paul (Kathy) James II, Leia (Chad) Compton, Sierra (Sean) James, Matthias (Andrea) James and TaiMing Yuen-James; much loved nephew, Paul (Morgan) Kingrey and Karly; and great-grandchildren, Damien, Dylan and Gillian Eggers; Jacob, Henry and Ethan Knutson; Ellen, Seth, Kirsten and Chloe Walker; Jessica and Jordynn Myers; Rosalie and Leif James; and Annyssia, Leyana, Anthony and Keyalie Compton. Siblings include her brother, Speed Kingrey; and sisters, Ethel Bradley, Betty Bubany, Faye Fortunati and Gloria Mantha; numerous nieces; nephews; friends; and people who in turn touched her life, including Bugs Myers, Sonja Wingard and Kathy Zaiser. If you knew her, and are reading this, we are sure she counted you as one of her friends. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Paul; her parents, Edward and Elizabeth Anna Kingrey; and dear brothers, Billy, Leo and Bert Kingrey. A Celebration of Marge's Life will be held Saturday, April 16, 2011, at St. Joseph's Catholic Church at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the YMCA or Morris Little League Park. There was nothing Marge loved more than kids and baseball.

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Marjorie Anne James

March 1, 1927 - March 23, 2011