Marilyn Fry

Marilyn JoAnn Joyce Fry, 93, of Pullman, died of age-related causes Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021, at Gritman Memorial Hospital in Moscow.

Marilyn was born Dec. 21, 1927, the first child of Joe Joyce, an Irish immigrant to Canada, who met his wife-to-be, Marvel Pickett, in her hometown of Whitefish, Mont. The Joyces lived in tiny-but-famous Skykomish, Wash., (always “Sky” to Marilyn), the Western entrance-town to the Northern Pacific Railroad’s seven-mile tunnel through Washington’s spectacular Cascade mountain range. Marilyn’s dad was a life-long railroad man and Marilyn’s love and knowledge of the railroad life was unending. Eventually, even her children would travel on the train with her.

To her dying day, Marilyn kept in touch with old “Sky” classmates and friends. One of the first things she insisted upon her marriage to Richard “Dick” Fry on July 17, 1977, was that they would attend the Annual Skykomish Oldtimers’ Picnic — and of course, they did. That was Dick’s first indication of how fondly Marilyn was remembered by so many old neighbors. (In a town as tiny as “Sky,” almost everyone was a neighbor, Fry learned.)

Marilyn moved to Spokane during WWII, and graduated from Marycliff High School. Over the span of years, living and working in Spokane (she was with the Pacific Northwest Bell Phone Company), Marilyn made many lifelong friends. Her very special group was the Amistad Social Club, and she continued meeting with members years after moving to Pullman.

Marilyn’s entire life was filled with love from so many friends and family and for her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren, so many it would fill pages here to list. Marilyn was blessed to have six wonderful children with husband Wes Schirman: Rick (Patty), Linda Mayther (Dick), Diane Rheaume (Joe), Jack, Mike, Greg (Debbie), and stepchildren, Patty Timothy, Jim Fry (Raylene), Kevin (Flo), Kristen Haight (Dave).

Marilyn’s final stop was Pullman, when she married Dick Fry in 1977. They lived a full and wonderful life there, Marilyn making new friends for both of them as they attended university events and town and clubs/friends get-togethers. Marilyn quickly joined the Pullman Women’s Golf Club, and so enjoyed playing the old 9-hole-course. Marilyn didn’t take up golf until well into her 40s when she took lessons from Spokane pro Bud Drake, but she loved the game — and “could get up in the middle of the night and hit a 5-iron, stiff.”

She also played in several bridge groups over the years, and the many, many sessions of their Monday/Wednesday/Friday-morning coffee gatherings with close friends in beautiful downtown Pullman were especially fond occasions.

Marilyn and Dick loved traveling together — all over Washington and to many other states (to watch Cougar games on many occasions, of course). They took in the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio, Texas, and two Rose Bowl games.

They made two trips to Europe and made some lifelong friends all over Great Britain on a number of stays there. They went to Australia to visit the families of six Rotary Exchange Group team members, who had visited Spokane during Expo ’74. In 1994, they flew to China to revisit scenes of Dick’s WWII service with the U.S. Army Air Corp unit in Luliang, Yunnan Province, 1944-45.

Marilyn was preceded in death by her parents, Joe and Marvel Joyce; infant brother, Richard Joseph; sister, Viva “Penny” Dieringer and her husband, Andy; husbands Wes Schirman and Bob Johnson, and her precious, beloved grandson, Mike Schirman Mayther.

The family would like to express their sincere thanks to Nancy Gregory, ARNP and CDE, who gave Marilyn many years of wonderful care. No formal service is planned for Marilyn. A private family interment is planned at a later date.

(As this obituary was being written, sad news came of the death Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021, of Marilyn’s 90-year-old sister, Mrs. Jacqueline C. Solomon at her home in Concrete, Wash.)

Online condolences may be sent to kimballfh.com.