Final post

Barbara Carmelite Bell Marcoux

Barbara Marcoux,  “Bobbie,” passed away quietly at her residence in Bothell, Washington on January 18, 2015.  Born September 13, 1914, she was the eldest child of  Petrea Olsen Bell and Randall Ray Bell, Sr.

Bobbie married H.A. “Marc” Marcoux, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate and Naval Aviator, in Pensacola in 1937.  Bobbie and Marc spent the early years of their marriage at several Naval bases around the country.  Following WWII, Marc retired from the Navy and entered the teaching profession, landing in Tucson, Arizona.  Bobbie worked as a teacher of math, and a counselor.  She was also an avid bridge player.

Bobbie is survived by her three sons:  Frederick Randall Marcoux (Joan); Kenneth Alan Marcoux (Carol); and Douglas Ray Marcoux (Betty) and her five grandchildren and several great grandchildren.  She is also survived by her two sisters, Judith Lee Bell Perry (Bill) and Shirley Bell Palmer Mertins (Carl).  Her brother, Randall Ray Bell, Jr. (Caroline) passed away in 2005. 

A brief memorial service will be held at her residence for staff and family.  A graveside memorial service is planned in Tucson.  

In lieu of flowers or memorials, the family requests that you remember this intelligent, vital, loving, adventurous, and charming lady in your prayers.  

This will be the last post to this blog.

Family & friends of Grandma/Bobbie/Barbara Marcoux

Grandma is at the end of her life and was placed in hospice care today at her Aegis residence.

According to the hospice people we are advised it will be no more than two weeks until her passing.  Hospice will monitor her and make sure she remains comfortable during this time.

  

If you have a personal need to connect with her for a final time, please contact us and we will work to facilitate it.  She isn’t able to verbally communicate at this time and has minimal comprehension.  Please keep her in your thoughts and remember her from earlier and more vibrant times.

Grandma’s Residence:

Aegis of Bothell

10605 NE 185^th Street

Bothell, WA 98011

425.298.3977

Thanksgiving

Our Thanksgiving was a great time to meet with family.  Carol and Ken flew in and had multiple visits with me while they were in the Seattle area.  I also got to see other family members!  This picture is taken at a place nearby me - a nursery that always has special Christmas decor.  One of the specials they do is build a poinsettia tree for all to see and pose for pictures.  I think the picture of Carol and Ken is quite nice - a fun picture to take so close to their wedding anniversary!

I am doing well - there will be carolers in and out of my residence soon; the kids across the street come by during the holiday to help make decorations for our residence.  We always have a great time! We had a fun Thanksgiving gathering and are now planning one for the Christmas holiday time.

Fall in the Northwest

Greetings everyone!

Now is the time I start thinking about the nice weather coming to southern Arizona!  We experienced a significant storm here at my residence - we were without power for several hours this weekend.  The leaves (as you see from this picture) are turning, and because of the wind we had this weekend many are now no longer on the trees.

I am doing well.  I now have a bed in my room that has power lift support for getting in and out of bed.  I guess at 100 this is most deserved and quite helpful as I transition from bed to my wheelchair daily.  Lunch during the power outage was a great club sandwich with potato salad - all fixable without power.  My eating habits are still quite good, and the food here at my residence still delicious to me.

I didn't get outside this weekend as the weather was just too inclement for anyone to be out and about.  When we get days like this I am grateful for our activities in house - we certainly had lots to do here while waiting for the power to return.  The staff had flashlights and helped us navigate around our facility if we needed to move about.  Luckily, the power came on before it got dark so we were able use regular lighting when we needed it.

Halloween will be coming this Friday - we always have goodies to give out to the little ones who visit us that day.  With a preschool just across the street from my residence, the parade of little ones in costume is really fun.

I am officially 100!

I wanted to share this picture with you all.  Yes, I am 100!  And yes, these are my grandchildren and my great-grandchildren!  We had a great birthday party for me at my residence with family, friends and many staff in attendance.

I had finger/tea sandwiches to nibble on (and indeed I did), a chocolate cake with chocolate icing, balloons and flowers for the party.  I also had a beautiful new outfit (thanks to Carol and Ken) to wear on that special day.

There were cards and well wishes from many people for me to see, plus each of the 3 older great-grandchildren presented me with their specially designed Happy Birthday cards that are now up in my room with pictures for all to see.  Everyone made it so special, and I am extremely grateful for the family members who made the trip from out of town to help me celebrate this special occasion!  We had a great time!  The sound of all the residents singing Happy Birthday to me was another special treat that I will treasure.

Seattle Summer

Hello everyone:

It is hard to hear about the rains and floods as well as the wildfires in many places.  Here at my residence we are having a wonderful summer.  The sun is shining most days with few to no clouds and the sky is a wonderful blue color.  I wish I could share this weather with everyone!  Rain in the summer comes occasionally, making our view lush and green.  The picture that is attached to this post is what the front of my residence looks like right now!  I often get outside to enjoy the weather and warmth, and I enjoy a chocolate milkshake while visiting with Betty & Doug when they drop in for a visit.

I am well, and really looking forward to my upcoming birthday party on Saturday, September 13.  I will be 100 years old, something we all will celebrate!  There will be chocolate cake, finger sandwiches, and lots of flowers and balloons.  I can't imagine achieving this birthday, but here I am!  I am told there will be many family members coming to celebrate with me that day, as well as other friends.  All 4 great-grandchildren are coming and I am sure lots of pictures will be taken.  I hope to share some on this blog with you.

Beautiful summer weather here!

Hello everyone!

The flowers are all up and blooming with spectacular color presently.  The ones in this picture are called "Avalanche Flowers" as they were first found up on Mt. Rainier close to an ice field.  Now they populate areas close to my residence.

The trees outside my window are in full leaf now, and I enjoy the gorgeous blue sky and temperate weather we have in July and most of August.  Yes, much of this state is currently fighting wildfires and we do have a burn ban in effect, but here in this area we are enjoying temperate weather and clear skies.

The Blue Angels from Pensacola Air Base will fly this weekend for our annual SeaFair event here in Seattle.  I won't go to see them in person, but they roar over my residence when reforming for another pass in front of the crowds and they are well covered on television where I see them perform.  Instead, I will sip my chocolate milkshake and visit with family on our deck outside while they are around.

The other big event this weekend is that my oldest great grandson turns 6 and my youngest great grandson is now 3 weeks old.  So happy to have 4 beautiful great grandchildren along with my grandchildren!  It makes turning 100 in a few weeks so much more special.

I am well; having had a dental appointment/cleaning recently.  I am well taken care of, and the residence staff likes me as well as I like them.  Some of them will be celebrating my birthday with me and my family in a few weeks!  Wish all of you could come be here with me for this event.