Obituary: Bare, Marie Ann (Pickel)
Age 87
The youngest of three children, she was never able to meet her father who abandoned the family before she was born.
At the age of three Marie’s mother became ill with TB and was no longer able to care for them so they were placed in the Spokane Children’s home as wards of the State.
At that time their grandmother (Nana) was unmarried and unable to care for them.
Her mother passed away in 1936.
Her grandmother eventually married and she and her husband were able to take them into their home and provided a happy home for them.
Marie and her brothers loved their Nana and Daddy Stiles very much.
Marie was born with a song in her heart, she was always singing.
Coached by her loving Nana, she quickly learned to sing, harmonize, and dance in their small kitchen.
Her Daddy would dance and sing with her too.
Their home was always filled with song, dance and whistling.
Marie attended school in Spokane and graduated from North Central High School in 1945.
While attending school she was in many musicals and plays, she also sang in her church choir.
After high school Marie worked at the Spokesman Review and lived at the YMCA.
During this time she entertained servicemen at the USO singing with various groups and was always a willing partner to dance with.
After World War II was over her future husband, Claude Bare returned home to Spokane.
Her Nana had warned her not to have anything to do with “those Bare boys”, so of course she started dating Claude.
On June 4, 1948 Marie and Claude were married by Father Prange of St. Allouisous Catholic Church.
At the time of Claude’s passing they had been married 54 years.
The couple moved to Kennewick in 1948 and started their family.
The three Bare “cubs” were born in 1949, 1950, and 1951 keeping Marie and Claude very busy.
Marie referred to her boys as her “playmates” and many games of tag and hide-n-seek were played.
She was always active in her boys lives, joining the PTA, volunteering at their schools, watching them in swimming, gymnastics, football, and wrestling.
She also helped with the swimming and gymnastics meets.
She was a den mother for the Boy Scouts while her boys were young.
She was an avid bowler and was a member of a bowling league for many years and bowled a 247 game.
Once her boys were raised Marie became a volunteer at Kennewick General Hospital helping with Tel-Med and as a part of the hospital guild until she was unable to continue because of Alzheimer’s disease.
When her husband passed away it became very apparent to her sons and their wives that their father had taken excellent care of their mom, protecting them from the extent of her Alzheimer’s disease.
Her family will be forever grateful to the staff at Tranquility Haven for the loving care they gave her during the last 5 years of her life.
We would also like to thank Tri-City Hospice for their care.
Marie will always be remembered for her singing and how she told you that she loved you and what a pretty smile, blouse, eyes, earrings, you had.
She may not have remembered our names always, but she remembered her songs and sang them to everyone who came in contact with her.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Claude Bare; parents, Clair and Margaret Pickel; brothers, Claire and Milton Pickel; granddaughter, Amy Michelle Bare; and great-grandson; Austin Eugene Bare.
Surviving her are her sons and daughters-in-law, Jeff and Shirley, Dan and Linda, and Kirt and Gigi; her grandchildren and spouses, Jason and Trish Bare, Britt and Penny Bare, Ktee and Eric Burget, Eric and Elke Bruton, Jennifer and Sean Hayes, Heather and Mark Peters, Dustin Bare, Tracie and Ryan Carter, Chad and Amber Bare, Brooks and John Slyter, Chris and Tricia Bare, Ben and Elizabeth Bare, Nick and Christine Bare, Lorry and David Rudd, Matt and Chelsea Bare, Abby and Trevor Buck, and Luke Bare; she is also survived by 27 great-grandchildren and counting; her sister-in-law, Sue Pickel; nephew, Mark Pickel and his family.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association or Hospice at The Chaplaincy.
Services will be held Saturday, January 11, 2014 at the LDS Chapel at 8120 W Fourth Ave in Kennewick at 2:00 p.m. with viewing beginning at 1:00 p.m.
The family invites you to sign their online tribute wall at www.muellersfuneralhomes.com.