Marly Crowe

Obituary Mass of Christian Burial for Marly Anne Crowe will be celebrated at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 9, 2019 at St. Andrew's Catholic Church in Ellensburg. A reception will follow the Mass in the Parish Hall. The family will greet friends at a visitation from 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. on Monday, July 8, 2019 at Steward & Williams Funeral Home in Ellensburg, followed by a recitation of the rosary at 7:00 p.m. Mrs. Crowe, a longtime Kittitas Valley resident, passed away at her home on Sunday, June 30, 2019 at the age of 66. Marly was born in Seattle, Washington on October 10, 1952 to Alfred & Marcia (Bragstad) Calkins. She grew up in Alderwoods Manor and graduated from Mount Lake Terrace High School in 1971. While in high school, Marly was very active in horse events and also a member of the singing group "Dynamics", traveling with the group to perform in Central and South America. She enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1972 and served for two years, receiving her honorable discharge in 1974. Marly moved to the Kittitas Valley in the early 1980's and spent many years being involved in hay farming. She started working in an administrative position at Central Washington University's student housing department in 2014 and recently celebrated her fifth year of employment with CWU. She was introduced to Bob Crowe by a mutual friend at a dance and the two hit it off swimmingly. They married in Coeur d' Alene, Idaho on September 16, 2003 and continued to make their home in Ellensburg. Marly and Bob spent many miles on their motorcycles traveling the country and owned and operated their own motorcycle tour business. Marly was the consummate community volunteer, giving freely of her time to help various organizations including Brewfest, the Ellensburg Rodeo and many others. If you needed a volunteer for an event, you knew you could rely on Marly. She was a longtime member of the Ellensburg Noon Rotary Club, a Charter Member of the Ellensburg Downtown Rotary Club and a very active participant in District 5060 Rotary events. She was also renowned for her incredible luck at games of chance - she could easily walk by a slot machine, put in a dollar and win it back tenfold almost every time. Marly was a remarkable woman who faced her diagnosis of a brain tumor with grace, gusto and strength. She will be truly missed for her easy-going ways, her helpful generous heart and her friendly smile. She fought the good fight and she may now rest in peace. Marly is survived by her husband, Bob; daughters Chelyse Castilleja (husband Thomas) and Angela Nist; grandsons Bridger and Braydan Owen; siblings Cheryl Meinke, Fred Calkins and Mark Calkins (wife Barb) as well as many dear friends both near and far. She was preceded in death by her parents, brother Ron Coleman and sister Celena Toland. Memorial contributions in Marly's honor are suggested to the American Brain Tumor Association (www.abta.org/give) or to the Rotary Foundation (www.rotary.org/donate). Steward & Williams Funeral Home and Crematory of Ellensburg has been entrusted with caring for Marly's family. Online condolences may be left at www.steward-williams.com