Marie A. Fruin passed away on October 30, 2020 after a long battle with Alzheimer's. Marie was born July 1935, in Spokane, WA to Leo T. and Theresia M. Gibbs. She was the youngest girl of the 4 girls and 2 boys. She was a bit of a tomboy as a youngster she said, preferring gymnastics and trying to catch baseballs outside the Indians ballpark so they all could 'win' seats inside for the remainder of the game.

Her life's many challenges were met with strength, integrity and resilience. At Kaiser Aluminum she worked her way to Metallurgist, then quickly advanced to Shift Leader, a rare position for a woman. With 2 children still at home at the age of 44, while working full time, she entered Spokane Falls Community College. Earning her AAS degree she transitioned into the Accounting department at Kaiser for the remainder of her career. Once retired, she eagerly devoted her time and focus to her grandchildren. It was no surprise to see Grandma Ree down on the floor with the grandkids when they were little, playing and putting together puzzles. The girls especially looked forward to the 'shop til you drop' adventures when Grandma Ree would delight in encouraging them to find entire ensembles. As the grandkids grew she would require them to help pick up or rake leaves a bit before they would head off to rent movies and get delicious frozen yogurts, sometimes even declaring it their dinner. The care and effort she put in to finding personalized gifts for everyone in the family along with her knack for finding unique toys, books and puzzles that were as educational as they were entertaining, would have rivaled your best personal shoppers.

Volunteering for her church, St. John Vianney, was deeply meaningful for her too. Part of that time was spent assisting the bookkeeper and helping regularly at various church events. Mostly though, she looked forward to helping with the bi­monthly lunches for the Crosswalk Youth Shelter.

Our family is grateful for the time Mom had before Alzheimer's took her from us. We will always remember her for being a great listener, for her love of learning, music and dance, her extraordinary skill for organizing, her generous nature and her warm, easy laughter.

Marie was preceded in death by her beloved sons Robert N. Fletcher and Orman J. Fletcher Jr., one grandson Michael Fruin, her brothers Robert Gibbs, James Gibbs and her sisters, Gloria McCarthy, Nadine Frawley and Darlene Powers. She is survived by her son Terry (Paula) Fletcher, daughter De'Laine (Ed) Garmon, son Jack (Gayle) Fruin Jr. and her daughter-in-law Rachelle Fletcher. All of her grandchildren; Nicholas Fletcher, Lindsay (Mitch) Ellithorpe, Melanie (Brian) Hoeger, James (Adrienne) Garmon, Ken (Stacia) Garmon, Rick (June) Garmon, 7 great grandchildren along with many nieces, nephews and friends. Our family would like to sincerely thank all of her Caregivers at Pine Ridge Alzheimer's Care Center and Hospice of Spokane for their loving care of Marie. Memorial contributions may be made to Alzheimer's Association at ALZ.org and HospiceofSpokane.org .