Martha C. Egly's Obituary
Martha (Molly) C. Shannon Egly
Martha (Molly) C. Shannon Egly, our family matriarch, was born October 8, 1920 in Seattle WA
and passed away June 24, 2020 in Tacoma WA
She was predeceased by her parents, Gerald A. Shannon Sr. and Martha M. Cutler Shannon;
her husbands James A. Egly and William L. Denend Sr.; her daughter Jennifer; and her younger
brothers Gerald A. Shannon Jr. and William A. Shannon.
Molly was raised in the Laurelhurst neighborhood of Seattle. She liked to sail her flattie sailboat
on Lake Washington, sometimes accompanied by her favorite dog, Betty. Molly attended Whitman
College and graduated with a BA in English in 1943 from the University of Washington. During WWII
she worked at Boeing, prior to marrying James (Jim) Egly in 1945. Molly and Jim were married for 52 years, and moved around Washington as their family grew and Jim pursued a career in banking. They
lived in Seattle, Mercer Island, Lakewood, Fircrest and University Place. Molly was an active mother
and homemaker. She enjoyed gardening, and completed the Master Gardener program. Molly had many friends and connected with them through bridge, water aerobics at the Pearl Street Y in Tacoma,
and the Tacoma-Pierce County Genealogical Society. She belonged to Seattle Milk Fund, Elizabeth Forey chapter of DAR, the Mayflower Society, the Pioneer Association of the State of Washington and Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. Molly was proud of her Irish roots and made two trips to Ireland.
In 2008 Molly sold her home and moved to Merrill Gardens Tacoma when it opened, becoming a
“pioneer” there. She lived at Merrill Gardens for nearly ten years. For the past two and a half years
she received excellent care at Titlow Adult Family Home in Tacoma.
Molly will be missed by her daughter Elizabeth (Beth) with fiancé David Cross of Tacoma; and sons
Bruce of Centralia WA; Paul (Kathie Trudelle) of Clyde Hill WA; and John (Julie) Egly of Yuma AZ.
She is survived by 8 grandchildren: Allison (Patrick) O’Keefe and Matthew Evans; Erin (Nathan) Coomer,
Sarah Egly, and Bryan (Kelsey) Egly; David (Kendra) Egly, James (April) Egly, and Thomas Egly (Meghan
Maier). Molly is also survived by 10 great-grandchildren: Shea, Kelly and Forest O’Keefe; Kathryn and
Cutler Coomer; Miles Egly; Kean and Lewis Egly; and Penelope and William Egly.
A memorial mass and reception will be scheduled at a later date at St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Tacoma. Donations may be made to Community Living, the nonprofit that provided supportive living
for Molly’s daughter, Jennifer, for many years. www.community-living.org
What’s your fondest memory of Martha?
What’s a lesson you learned from Martha?
Share a story where Martha's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Martha you’ll never forget.
How did Martha make you smile?