Birth: 3/27/1927

Marjorie, 85, passed away on May 26, 2012 in Olympia, Washington from complications of non-Alzheimer’s Dementia. She was born March 27, 1927, to Chris and Mary Maxin. She lived in a few places like Puyallup and Port Townsend in her childhood, but the majority of her life she lived in Olympia. Marj attended Olympia High School and married Phil Stymans, a serviceman she met while volunteering at the USO. They had two children, Richard (Rick) and Kristine (Kris). They later divorced and she married Gilbert Hartin and gained another daughter, Cecelia (Cindi). Marj and Gib spent many years together and loved to travel to their get-away property at Kaslo, Canada, always taking along their two faithful canine companions “Max” and “Muffin.” They also built an oriental style house near Steamboat Island, had a beautiful view of the bay and had many years watching sunsets together.

Marj worked for the State with the Department of Institutions and later with the Department of Fisheries. After she retired, she and Gib moved to Lacey and spent their time fixing up their new home until Gib passed away in 1990. Marj spent the next several years putting her energies into her art and was a very talented artist who could create art pictures with oil, pastels, charcoal, and watercolors. She created incredible portraits and had the ability to take a picture and create a lifelike watercolor. Marj also was an accomplished porcelain doll maker and once made a face mold of her father (Chris) and used it to create unique porcelain Santas. She loved her grandchildren and saw them often. Having a soft spot for animals, there always seemed to have a rescue cat or dog living with her. She enjoyed working in her yard and always had beautiful flowers around her.

Marj also volunteered for organizations and used her artistic talents every year for the St. Peter Foundation Christmas Tree Forest fundraiser. She belonged to a local doll club and enjoyed setting up a table at the Puyallup doll shows where she would spend most of her time socializing with other “doll people.” Another organization which she enjoyed for many years was the Beta Sigma Phi Sorority.

In 2005, she married Skip Schmidt and had a short, but happy life doing things they both loved like traveling and taking art lessons. Skip preceded her in death as did her brother Stuart and her sister Marian (Hill). She is survived by son Richard Stymans and his wife Carol; daughters Kris Schwarz and Cecelia Swaab and her husband Phil; six grandchildren (Jeff, Kasey, Lisa, Sabrina, Stephanie, and Ramone); eight great grandchildren and one great-great grandchild.

A graveside service will be held at Masonic Memorial Park at 2 p.m. on Monday, June 25, 2012 and a celebration of life for friends and family will follow at 3617 Stikes Loop, Lacey.

Donations may be made to a charity of your choice or the Thurston County Animal Shelter in Olympia.

Please leave YOUR memories of Marj or condolences for the family in the Guestbook below.