Pearl May Maddy was born January 17, 1929 in Dover, Idaho to Charles and Effie Clink. She passed away peacefully on December 1, 2023 in Arlington, Washington. Pearl grew up in the Snohomish area. A child of the Depression, she helped her mother raise chickens and maintain a large vegetable garden. Through her older brother, Otto, she met her future husband, Richard Maddy. They were married on August 11, 1945, and shared 72 years together before Richard’s death in 2017.
Mom was always busy. She worked outside the home at various jobs and retired from the City of Everett planning department in 1991. She made many lasting friendships at the City. She was a master at multitasking—working, preparing for our weekend fishing trips to eastern Washington, canning jars and jars of homegrown fruits and vegetables, and keeping our household running smoothly. We always had freshly baked cookies at our house. She seemed to have infinite energy.
Mom enjoyed many different interests and activities. She mastered the art of oil painting and many of her children and grandchildren have her original works. She loved to garden, was a master gardener, and she and Dad always had the best looking yard in the neighborhood. She loved roses and had many, many varieties in which she took great pride. She was a long-time duplicate bridge player at the Carl Gipson Senior Center and was frequently #1. Mom spent many hours on genealogical research tracing the roots of her parents’ ancestry. She documented all her work for future generations to learn from.
After retirement, she and dad took numerous cross-country driving trips, visiting relatives at different locales around the country. They cruised to Alaska and traveled to Mexico, Hawaii and England. Mom was always the trip planner, making sure all the details were covered. She and Dad loved to golf and played many courses around the Pacific Northwest.
Pearl was preceded in death by her parents, her two brothers, Gus and Otto, and her beloved son-in-law, Dave Thorp. She and Dave spent many hours playing cribbage with a healthy, competitive spirit.
She is survived by her children, Leo Maddy (Jeannie), Neil Maddy (Shari), and Caryl de Jong (Tennis), five grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, and three great-great-grandchildren. Mom and Dad were great role models and leave behind a wonderful family.
Mom will be greatly missed for her caring spirit, work ethic, humor, and lively interest in the world.
A special thanks to the wonderful staff at Alderbrook Fields Senior Living for their compassionate care of mom over the last eighteen months.
A celebration of life will be held at Schaefer-Shipman Funeral Home on December 15th, located at 804 State Ave., Marysville, WA. Viewing and fellowship from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m., memorial service at 11:00, with private family interment following at GAR cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Carl Gipson Senior Center at https://www.voaww.org/gipson-center or Fred Hutch Cancer Center at https://www.fredhutch.org.
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