Obituary of Marylee B. Ward

Marylee B. Ward, my dear sister, passed away peacefully on December 27th, 2019, at the Providence Benedictine Nursing Center in Mt. Angel. She was 75. Born in Michigan to a military family, she was the eldest child of four. She is survived by sister, Joy Ann Graham of Sacramento, CA, but proceeded in death by her brothers, Lee F. Bennett Jr. of Salem, and Steven M. Bennett of Salem. As with most military families, they were stationed in many places, including the Philippine Islands. After her father retired, they settled in Southern California. Marylee obtained an Associate degree from Palomar College, then took a break from her education and joined the Peace Corps. Afterwards, she traveled some, living in Boston, Mass., and Mt. Desert Island, Maine. Eventually, coming back to California, and attending Ohlone College, graduating with an RN degree. Her career path settled on mental health. She worked at a facility in San Jose, and then moved on to Fairbanks, Alaska, to a facility there. In Alaska, her health began to fail. She was disabled, had to leave her job and moved to Salem to be with family. Marylee loved to garden, read, play computer games, and was an excellent cook. She was kind, generous, with a fun sense of humor. She loved all types of animals, especially Border Collie dogs. I miss you, “sister-friend”. Special thanks to PBNC for all your loving, kind, and attentive care these many years.