Bruna Marion Gorham's Obituary
Bruna (Bea) M. Gorham
Bea Gorham was born in Seattle, WA on March 8, 1925, to Umberto and Rose Marchi and passed away on Wednesday, December 29, 2010, in St. Louis Park, MN.
Bea grew up in West Seattle and graduated from Holy Rosary Catholic School.
Bea married Arthur F. Gorham in Seattle, on September 9, 1944. Bea traveled the world as a devoted and patriotic military wife and mother. Their tours of duty took them to Johnson AB in Japan; Portland, OR; McChord AFB, WA; Ramstein AB, Germany; Peterson AFB and Ent AFB, Colorado Springs, CO; and the FAA in Washington, D.C.
Subsequent to Art's retirement from the Air Force in 1972, Bea and Art moved to Florida, then Colorado Springs, and on to Anchorage, AK in 1976. They moved to California in 1980 and then in 1983 back to Lakewood, WA. Bea resided in Lakewood until 2006 and always had a love for the Pacific Northwest. She was an avid gardener and loved working in her yard. She also enjoyed spending time with her family and her Persian cats. In 2006, for healthcare reasons, Bea moved to Minnesota where she could be close to her daughter and son-in-law, Shari and Paul Abzug, who lovingly cared for her and became her ever present healthcare advocates.
Bea and Art loved to travel and see the world. They traveled to Europe, Russia, China, Australia, New Zealand, Morocco, Egypt, Greece, and Turkey. Cruising was one of their favorite means of travel and they sailed through the Panama Canal several times, visiting Venezuela, Mexico and most of the islands in the Caribbean.
Bea was preceded in death by her loving husband of 58 years, Art Gorham; her sister, Emma Peil; and her brother Louis Marchi. Bea is survived by sons Gene and his wife Michele in Anchorage, AK, and Randy in Eden Prairie, MN; daughters Diane Crail and her husband Scott in Glendora, CA, and Shari Abzug and her husband Paul in Tonka Bay, MN; and six grandchildren; Tim and Brad Gorham, Megan and Hannah Crail, and Heather and Nathan Abzug.
Visitation will be from 2:00 PM to 9:00 PM on Wednesday, January, 5, 2011, at Mountain View Funeral Home. Funeral services will be held on Thursday, January 6, 2011, at 2:00 PM, in the Garden Chapel at Mountain View Funeral Home & Memorial Park, 4100 Steilacoom Blvd. SW, Lakewood, WA., (253) 584-0252, www.mountainviewtacoma.com. Private entombment will be in Acacia Mausoleum in Seattle, WA.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to your local Humane Society or a charity of your choice.
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