Obituary of Marceline Bertha Marie Brummer

Marceline, known to many as Marcy, was born in Winnetoon, Nebraska, to Ernest and Johanna Christine “Marie” Suhr on September 17, 1925. She was the oldest of five children. Her family farmed the land along the Niobrara River until they moved to Kennewick, Washington in 1940 for the promise of work. In Kennewick, they farmed for others and Marcy drove a team of horses for the Brummers, a neighboring family. Marcy and her sister, Maxine, were friends with two of the Brummer boys, Glenn and Don. Eventually, her parents purchased their own land and farm, which all the family worked. At 22, she began working at the local five and dime store Diamonds. Marcy married Edward Estes in June 1949. They had a daughter, Kathleen, in 1950 and a son, Dennis, in 1952. Ed moved the family to Portland, Oregon in 1956 to take a job with the railroad. He and Marcy enjoyed taking their kids fishing and camping. They also made frequent trips to Kennewick to visit family. Ed passed away in 1967 at the age of 47. She was raised a Lutheran and kept her Christian faith all her life. She was a homemaker and in 1964 she began working at the Fred Meyer warehouse. She loved her flower gardens and crocheting. She enjoyed teaching Sunday school; participating in the PTA; sewing; canning fruits and vegetables; making lemon Jello cake and homemade ice cream. In her later years, she could often be found working the daily crossword puzzle or jumble, reading mystery novels, and crocheting doilies for her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Most of all, she enjoyed being with family and friends. Later, Marcy rekindled a friendship with her old friend Donald “Bud” Brummer. They were married in 1971. Marcy and Bud enjoyed traveling, and would often take their grandchildren, John and Christy, to the Oregon Coast. They were a social couple who frequented their local Elks lodge with her best friend, Marcella, and her husband Dorsey Bryant. Bud died tragically in a work accident in 1977. Many years later, after Marcella passed away, Marcy and Dorsey reconnected, going to dinner and enjoying each other’s company. She was still working for Fred Meyer at that time, but decided to retire after 20 years so that she and Dorsey could spend more time together. After Dorsey passed away, she moved back to the house she and Bud originally owned years earlier and lived there with her daughter until her passing. She passed away peacefully on May 19, 2019 in the presence of her loving family. She was preceded in death by her son, Dennis Estes, who passed away in 2005. She is survived by daughter Kathleen (Estes) Clevinger; grandchildren John Clevinger, Christine Clevinger, Gabriel Estes, Vanessa Grayson (Dal Marsters) and Nova Newcomer (Matt Walker); great-grandchildren Cyle Clevinger, Madeline Clevinger, Elliott Bakke, Louise Bakke, Payton Walker and Kellen Walker; and a sister, Darlene Parker, of Kennewick, Washington. She was a beloved mother, grandmother and great grandmother. A kind, sweet woman with a lovely smile that shone brightly when she was with family and friends, we were so blessed to share in her life. We will miss her and her sweet smile. She will be loved and remembered forever. On the day of her passing, the sky lit up with a golden glow and there appeared a beautiful, vibrant double rainbow which let her family know she was home with the Lord and at peace. She will be interred in a private ceremony at Willamette National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please contribute to the American Heart Association or a charity of your choice. A celebration of life for family and friends will be held Saturday, June 29, 2019, from 1:00-3:00 p.m. at the home of her granddaughter.