Marianne Patricia (Wilke) Johnson's Obituary
Marianne Patricia (Wilke) Johnson, age 66 of Tacoma WA, died March 19, 2026 after a courageous battle with lung cancer.
Marianne was born March 18, 1960 to Walter and Beverley Wilke, the youngest of three children and sister to brothers Jim and Don. Marianne is survived by husband Paul Johnson; brothers Jim Wilke (Marilyn); Don Wilke; Aunt Marilyn Hopfer; Uncle Bob Davis (Ginger); and nieces and nephews.
Marianne grew up in the Green Lake neighborhood of Seattle, attending St Catherine’s Catholic School through middle school and graduating from Blanchet High School.
The Wilke’s were an adventurous family, with lots of travel throughout the United States in their Buick 63 station wagon. Her parents were members of the Mountaineers, so many state and national parks, hiking, camping, and mountain climbs were part of the family adventures. At age 6, Marianne was the youngest person to climb Mt Shasta unaided at that time. At the age of 9, Marianne was at NASA for the Apollo 11 launch, and by the age of 14, Marianne had
visited every state but Alaska with her family.
During middle school, Marianne had the opportunity to try horse riding, and it wasn’t long before she had her own horse and was competing at many equestrian events. Her love of horses never stopped.
In typical Marianne-style, she never let anything stop her and on leaving school, trained as a journeyman electrician at a time when it was a very male-dominated industry.
She worked as an journeyman electrician for 35 years. She was an expert in her specialty of fiber optics, becoming a mentor to many up and coming electricians. As an electrician Marianne started and remained her entire career in the commercial sector, working on many well-known industrial sites and on many big projects including the I-90 Tunnel and pontoons, the Tacoma Dome, and the Westrock Paper Mill.
During a downturn in the economy that deeply affected the industrial sector, she re-trained as a massage therapist, graduating with honors and specialized in the traditional Hawaiian massage form of Lomi Lomi which the Hawaiian kupuna (elder) Auntie Margaret Machado describes as "praying" work, targeting the healing of body, emotions, and spirit. After 5 years of massage work, she returned to her beloved electrical work where she remained until retiring in 2025.
Her horse Wizard was the love of her life until she met Paul in 2007. Their first date was riding motorcycles together and they both knew early in their relationship they had found “the one”. They were married April 23, 2008 in Kihei, Hawaii - a place that
holds significant meaning and memories for both of them.
One of the loves they shared was their mutual love of dogs - Paul had German Shepherds and Marianne her beloved GSP’s (German Short-haired Pointers). Together they trained their dogs and competed in both nose work trials and dock diving, winning many awards at both regional and national levels.
Marianne had a quiet but deep faith in God, expressed in many ways. Several Hawaiian proverbs were meaningful to her knowing a new chapter was upon us:
Uwe ka Lani, Ola ka Honra: “when the heavens weep, the earth lives” Lele ka ʻuhane: “The spirit flies”
In lieu of flowers, Paul and Marianne request donations to the Fred Hutch Cancer Research Center in memory of Marianne Johnson. Their support and care of Marianne was invaluable.
A celebration of Marianne’s life to be held at Centerpoint Christian Fellowship 2041 S 66th St, Tacoma, 98409 on April 18th at 11:00 A.M. You are invited to wear a Hawaiian shirt or dress in honor of Marianne and Paul.
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