Marilyn Susan Cummings' Obituary
Marilyn Susan Cummings Howins passed away unexpectedly, May 28th 2019, 11 days after celebrating her 66th birthday, while in Maui, Hawaii. She was the Granddaughter and Great Granddaughter of 7 Washington State Pioneers that settled in Washington prior to the 1889 statehood. Born May 17th 1953 in the old St Joseph Hospital in Tacoma, Washington, she was the third child of parents Adolph and Marjorie (Henderson) Cummings. She grew up in the Old Town neighborhood and attended Lowell Elementary.
Her father, Adolph established Cummings Boat Company in 1945, of which she was the past Vice-President. The boatyard was on the present location of C.I. Shenanigans and Ram Restaurant located on Ruston Way. When the site was sold in 1981, it was the last remaining heavy industry on Ruston Way, from what was once the industrial center of Tacoma. They continued boat building activities at the former Caddigans Marina, until it was sold to the Metropolitan Park Board in 1985. It is the current Cummings Park at 3900 Ruston Way.
In her younger years she was an accomplished equestrian, competing with her horse Cindy Lou in show jumping.
After graduating from the University of Washington, she got a job with the City of Tacoma, as an auditor for the Licensing department. She then ventured into the Real Estate industry, selling houses in the Tri Cities and later in the Puget Sound area. She went on to establish The Brokerage Inc. in 1980 and continued selling real estate as the Designated Broker and overseeing her numerous Sales Associates along with President Sherrie Swanson. She was semi-retired from The Brokerage Inc. at the time of her death. Along with selling homes and properties, she built and remodeled many houses and managed numerous rentals of her own.
She enjoyed fishing in Kona Hawaii, Alaska, British Columbia, and Washington State and was very successful, when she did so.
Marilyn lived life to the fullest, making every minute count. She enjoyed traveling with her loving husband Gordy and brother, Mike, who she and Gordy had a close bond. They were world travelers, visiting Europe, Mexico, Australia, Puerto Rico and practically all of the United States and Canada. They especially enjoyed the Hawaiian Islands. Gordy and Marilyn were married on the beach in Maui in 1998, after a long friendship. They visited the Islands whenever the opportunity presented itself. Sunsets were a special time for the two of them.
Marilyn never met a stranger; she could start up a conversation with anyone she met. And sometimes you could find is hard to get a word in, edgewise. She was generous and never missed a birthday for her many friends and family.
One of Marilyn’s favorite sayings was, “A woman’s place is anywhere she wants it to be!” She was loved and admired by hundreds of people, she will be greatly missed, especially by her Family.
Marilyn was preceded in death by her beloved brother, Mike. Marilyn was the loving wife of Gordon Howins, the sister to Patricia Bliss (Dave) & Kathleen Cummings. Although Marilyn never had children, she embraced Jeremy Howins as a son and Noah Howins and Riley Kudabeck as her grandchildren. She is also survived by sister-in-law Cynthia McWatters (Jim), nieces Christine Bliss-Yager (Rodney), Teresa Tolle, Lisa Mathews (Clint), Stephanie Jean, Staci Jean, Jessica Jean, Arielle Jean, Jamie
McWatters, 9 Grand nieces and nephews , 1 G-Grand niece, numerous cousins and close friends Sherrie Swanson, Bonnie Newton, Laura Kokesh, Mattie Kling and numerous other friends.
A private service will be held with close family members, with interment at Mountain View, prior to a celebration of Marilyn’s life.
The Celebration of Marilyn’s life will be held at C.I Shenanigans, 3017 Ruston Way on June 14th. Celebration will start at 5:30 pm. In lieu of Flowers, make donations to: Equest Special Riders, Inc. P.O. Box 5391, Spanaway, WA 98387
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