Marianne Burns

Marianne Burns passed away peacefully on September 16th, 2023, surrounded by her family.
She was 94 years old. Marianne was born to Mike and Emily Berry, on December 24th, 1928 in
Tacoma, Washington. Although mom left us today to be with the Lord, she will leave behind a
legacy of living a life filled with grace, humility and strength.
Today we lost an amazing woman who we had the privilege to call our mom, our nana, and our
best friend. Mom was the strongest, kindest, most intelligent, faith-filled woman we have ever
known. She showed courage and strength as she faced adversity, especially these last few
years. Throughout her life, she taught us all the meaning of keeping the faith, fighting hard and
finding the positive in every situation. Mom loved us all unconditionally. She encouraged and
supported her children and grandchildren in their pursuit of their dreams, passions and talents.
Mom had that perfect balance of being our friend, but also knowing when she needed to be our
mom or nana.
Mom was a genuine woman who put her faith into action; she walked her talk. She attended
mass religiously, volunteered at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic School and Church endlessly,
and cared for and treated everyone with dignity and respect. She, like dad, believed that you
should leave your community better than you found it. Mom lived a humble, but fulfilled life,
that impacted many.
Marianne is survived by her two daughters Kim (Bill) Waechter and Stephanie (Vic) Leverett.
She is also survived by her six grandchildren Jack, Tyler and Stephanie Waechter and Addison,
Kylie and Hutton Leverett. Marianne was proceeded in death by her husband Robert, her
parents, Mike and Emily, her brothers Robert and Jack Berry, her sister Joan Johnson and
granddaughter Caroline Leverett.
We will be forever grateful for having the most wonderful parents in our lives for such a long
time; we have been so blessed. We can only hope that we can continue their legacy with our
families.
We would like to thank our caregivers Faith and Mary, true angels from God, who have become
our family and cared for mom and dad like their own. We would also like to thank Tina and
Angela from MultiCare Hospice for their kind, loving support throughout this long journey with
mom and dad. Our family is truly grateful and indebted to you all.
In lieu of flowers the family asks that any charitable donations be made, in the name of
Marianne Burns, to the Father Gerry Chapdelaine Endowment Fund at Bellarmine Preparatory
High School, The O’Dea Fund or MultiCare Home Health & Hospice.