Notes for: Mariella ("Mari") Bodine

From Ronny Bodine:

Obituary, the Bellingham Herald of 2 July 2004.
Mari Vaughn, 79, passed away at home on Friday, June 25, 2004, surrounded by her family. Mari was born on April 30, 1925 in Blaine, WA to John and Jessie Bodine. Growing up mostly in Lynden, she graduated from Lynden High School in 1943. She married her childhood sweetheart, Mel Vaughn, in January, 1943. Moving to Bellingham after WWII, Mel and Mari made a home on Raymond Street where they've been ever since, raising four children and one of Bellingham's best gardens!

Mari was so many things: a loving wife, a very proud mother and grandmother, a wonderful and funny friend, and always the life of a party. She loved to garden and cook, filling everyone's cupboards with homemade jams, canned beans and tomatoes, and ready to cook for ten should they drop by for dinner. Mari's father had a home bakery on their farm on the H St Rd and she followed in his footsteps as a baker for the Bon Marche and WWU's Saga Foods before retiring in 1982. Her baking skills were renowned and she baked her last pie with this season's fresh strawberries to give to friends just days ago.

Mari was an avid reader! She also loved to go camping, sit around a campfire, boat in the San Juans, and harvest clams and oysters. She was an active member of the VFW Post # 1585, helping out with monthly pancake breakfasts, fundraising dinners and joining her friends there regularly to share most recent family stories, the state of the world, and a glass of wine or two. Most of all, she loved dancing the last dance with the love of her life, her husband Mel.

She is survived by her husband of 61 years, Melvin R. Vaughn; her son Doug Vaughn of San Diego and his partner Eden O'Mari; her daughter Vicki Hubner and husband Scrub of Lummi Island; her son Jeff Vaughn and wife Linda of Bellingham and was preceded in death by her daughter, Lin Vaughn Succa. Also, grandchildren Lisa Parberry and her husband Brian of Bellingham, Paul Wiggins and Anthony Succa of Wisconsin; Megan Hubner and her fianc?e Jeff Solomon of Bellingham; Tim Hubner and his wife Stefanie McClure of Bellingham; Kaylee and Kelsey Vaughn of Bellingham; and great grandchildren, Erin, Evan and Danielle Parberry of Bellingham. She is also survived by her sisters Dorothy Kesselring of LaConner, Nita Proffit of Arlington and her brother Ken Bodine in California along with numerous but important and loved nieces and nephews. Mari will be missed by so many.

Family and friends are invited to a memorial service on Thursday July 1st at 5:00 pm at the Squalicum Boathouse, 2300 North Harbor Loop off Coho Way in Squalicum Harbor. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the VFW Post # 1585 Auxilary or just bake a pie and have your family over.

Obituary, Bellingham Herald (Bellingham, Wash.) of 13 March 2012.
Melvin Robert Vaughn, born June 21, 1923, passed away at the age of 88 early on Monday morning, March 12, 2012. The only child of Frank and Marie Gjerde Vaughn, Mel was raised in Lynden, graduating from Lynden High School in 1941. He was hired by J.J. Herb and started work at Pacific Coast Paper Mill in January 1942, earning 35 cents an hour. Drafted in the fall of 1942, he proposed to Mari Bodine and married her on January 30, 1943, before being shipped out to China/Burma/India. In the Medical Corps, as an X-ray technician, he helped set up hospitals and was in the first convoy over the Burma Road. After the war, he returned to a career in the paper industry, retiring from Georgia Pacific as Assistant Superintendent of the tissue division in 1982. Mel was proud of his work as a paper maker and enjoyed the camaraderie of his co-workers in his 40 years at the mill. He helped start GaPac Credit Union and was president for 30 years. But his passion was for his family and friends. With his wife, Mari, he gave his children an enchanted childhood on Raymond Street that included animals from horses, cows, and chickens to dogs and cats, along with a garden that fed many more than the family. The best times were spent boating and camping in the San Juan Islands, skiing on Lake Whatcom, gathering together at annual family reunions, and sharing a cabin on Cain Lake with best friends Beryl and Lois Weidkamp. He provided a home that welcomed all and which always included a happy hour followed by a dinner, whether it was for four...or forty! Mel and Mari were members of the Elks Club, where they danced the weekends away. They were also active members of the VFW, enjoying years of organizing and cooking pancake breakfasts, monthly dinners, Friday snack nights, and Saturday night dinner/dances. Their legacy together is that relationships are the key to a wonderful life, and that means when you give of yourself, you end up receiving so much more. Mel was preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Mari, and his beloved daughter Lin. Survivors include son Doug of San Diego, daughter Vicki Hubner (Scrub), and son Jeff Vaughn (Linda); grandchildren Lisa Parberry (Brian), Paul Wiggins, Tony Succa, Megan and Tim Hubner, Kaylee Vaughn (fiancé, Simon), Kelsey Schene (Andy), and great-grandchildren Erin, Evan, and Danielle Parberry, Jimmy and Jackson Wiggins. A memorial service and happy hour is planned from 5:00pm to 7:00pm on Friday, March 16, at the Squalicum Boathouse, 2600 Harbor Loop, Bellingham. In lieu of flowers and in memory of Mel, please donate to Peace Health Hospice House, VFW Post 1585, 625 N. State Street, Bellingham, WA 98225, or the charity of your choice . Please sign the online guest book and share your memories of Mel at www.farewelltributes.com

Children: Linda Shelene (1945), Douglas Edward (1946), Victoria Allyson (1953), Jeffery Lee (1956).