1933-12/22/2022
Marilyn Kavanaugh was a helper and a doer. She was born to Esther Williams Manerud and Harold “Cotton” Manerud at Seattle General Hospital. Her sister Barbara (Petie) was born two years later. She attended Lincoln High School (entertaining her children and grandchildren well into her 80’s with the school cheer, including high kicks!), graduating at 17.
She is survived by her loving husband, Jim, daughters Susan Kavanaugh (Glenn Blackmon), Katie Kavanaugh Pauly (Doug Pauly), Elizabeth Kavanaugh (Jaime Vera Valenzuela), Barbara Kavanaugh, son Steve Kavanaugh (Erin Sullivan), grandchildren Willie (Emily Hoppes), Jimmy and Grace Blackmon; Chelan Pauly Oldemeyer (Kyle Oldemeyer), Skye Pauly, Jace Pauly; Gabriela and Vivian Vera-Kavanaugh; and Caden Kavanaugh, two great-grandsons, numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and a multitude of treasured friends, including beloved caregiver Ana Peralta.
She graduated cum laude from Washington State College (now WSU) in 1955 with a major in Sociology and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. She was a loyal Kappa Delta, regularly gathering with close KD friends 50+ years after graduation. Displaying a huge banner bearing the words “Cougar Country” in the front yard of a Seattle home was a daring move, but Marilyn never backed down from a challenge. She was editor of her college yearbook, the Chinook, her senior year, and her love of the written word and of creating order out of chaos stayed with her for the rest of her life.
In 1958 she married James Vincent Kavanaugh in Seattle at St. James Cathedral. Over the next years, moving for Jim’s work with Boeing, they made their home in Seattle, Missouri, North Dakota, and then Seattle again, but this time with four daughters in tow. In 1968 they added a son to their burgeoning family, and moved to a bigger house on Capitol Hill, where they lived thereafter and where Marilyn peacefully died, surrounded by family.
Marilyn never met a person she didn’t like or who didn’t love her. Her welcoming and warm ways, and ability to see the humor even in the hardest of things, and her beautiful smile all drew people to her. She valued kindness, cheerfulness, helpfulness, and intelligence.
She was a social worker by training, and at heart, working for the county and state after graduating college. Marilyn championed social justice, and served on the Central Area School Council in the early 1970s as Seattle schools desegregated, calling out institutional racism and misogyny as she saw it. When her youngest child entered kindergarten, she re-entered the workforce, this time at Community House, a local mental health agency, doing publicity and grant-writing and serving as interim Director. Later she moved to Seattle Prep where she worked as the Director of Development, and for 10 years garnered philanthropic contributions, spear-headed capitol campaigns, and instituted the ever-popular alumni basketball tournament.
Her family was her heart, and she championed them and their interests, always. She was a helper of homework, a thrower of parties, and a family-vacation camper. Jim and Marilyn traveled the world, sometimes alone, often with good friends, and commonly to see their far-flung children. When she became a grandmother, she relished the role, helped out when their parents took vacations, took grandchildren to plays, loved being with them and celebrated their growth and accomplishments. One of her favorite shirts said “Ask me about my grandchildren”.
She loved, served and challenged her communities. Neighbors became friends and then family. She was a member of the Roanoke Portage Bay Community Council, the Seward School PTA, and a parishioner of her beloved St. Patrick’s Church for 54 years, where she was a long-time Women’s Spirituality Group member. She also was the alumni coordinator for Lincoln High School for many years. She helped organize two Seward School reunions, wrote a history of St. Patrick’s Church, tutored immigrants, and made regular visits to people in immigration detention, and in the 1970s, contributed a chapter to a book on part-time careers for women.
Marilyn’s ability to see the good in others and make the best of things stood her in good stead when she had two strokes at the age of 82. She always smiled even when being poked, prodded and cajoled to do things, and did her best. She never complained about losing her speech and mobility, and was quick to laugh at the absurdity of life.
Her intellect was keen, her eyes savvy, and her ability to turn a phrase, edit a story, or find a garage sale around every corner was unsurpassed. She taught us well, loved us unabashedly and we will never forget her.
Marilyn's funeral will be held at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 732 18th Ave E, Seattle, WA 98112, on Friday, January 27th at 11am. All are welcome.