Obituary: Bourque, Mertie (Phelps)
Age 76
She was born on June 16, 1937, in Pullman, WA, daughter of Lyal and Ellen Phelps (deceased) and sister to Loren Thomas (deceased) and Marlene (Gross, who is alive and kicking).
Mertie grew up in the Spokane Valley where the Holy Names sisters read to her elementary class every day after lunch.
Cervantes, Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Dickens made her a storyteller, and she could tell a story like no one else.
She left for Seattle as a young woman - a big personality needs a big city - and marriage to Warrick took her to Alabama, Florida, and her favorite, New Orleans.
Vibrant, lively, and full of verve, it mirrored Mertie herself.
She returned to Seattle and raised her two children, Basil (of Seattle) and Camille (of Los Angeles, CA).
She set up a local grocery store and collected good tales from the neighborhood that read like fiction.
Adultery?
Check.
Errant child?
Check.
Frustrated parents?
Check.
Happy family?
Check, but where was the fun in that?
She began a second career as a math teacher at St. Alphonsus School in Ballard, and her students’ antics often had her declare “People think I make this stuff up.”
She retired after 22 years and kept ferociously busy with bridge, political discussions at the Edmonds Senior Center, classes through the Creative Retirement Institute, and murder mysteries.
Most importantly, she loved her friends and her family, including her sister, her children, the best brother-in-law ever, Robert Gross, and the adored grandniece, Miriam Indgjerd.
Mertie, you had more stories to tell that would have had us wiping away tears of laughter.
You had a rich life, and you died too soon (March 31, 2014).
You told us not to make a fuss, so we’ll do as requested and tell mourners that in lieu of flowers, they might consider a donation to your favorite charity: Pasado’s Safe Haven.