Marcia Louise O'Leary

March 10, 1934 - December 01, 2017

Marcia Louise O'Leary Obituary Marcia OLeary was born on March 10, 1934 in Spokane. A nearly lifelong resident of Spokane, she graduated from high school at Lewis and Clark High School in 1951 before attending Whitman College. She was married to Tom OLeary for 63 years. Together they raised four children, Karen Piotrowicz (Phil), Mike OLeary (Robbin), Ann Shaw (Tom) and Jim OLeary (Janet), who gave them seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, whom Tom and Marcia took great delight in. Tom preceded Marcia in death this year in April. When Marcia was in her early 30s, she and a neighbor challenged each other to face one of their fears and try to overcome it. Marcia confided that she was afraid of water and didnt know how to swim. She began taking swimming lessons and in time earned lifeguard and water safety instructor certificates. She went on to work as a swimming instructor at the Spokane YWCA, teaching all ages from infant to elderly, including persons with physical and developmental disabilities. In the late 1960s she returned to college, earned a degree in physical education at Eastern Washington State College, and over the years advanced to the position of athletic director, working at the Y altogether for 19 years. In retirement, Marcia was able to pursue passions for learning, travel, gardening and volunteering. A true lifelong learner, she sought out courses in, and read about, many different subjects, including history, philosophy and Middle East current affairs. When Tom retired, they enrolled in courses together and traveled to such destinations as Germany, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, England, Ireland, Spain, China, Japan and Turkey. Marcia tended her home garden diligently and also volunteered to care for the gardens at the Episcopal Church parishes where she and Tom attended and the shared gardens in their Fairwood neighborhood. She also served on several church and diocesan committees, organized huge rummage sales for Caritas, and researched the history of Episcopal churches in the Inland Empire and history of the area around Fairwood. In addition, she volunteered as a guardian ad litem for a family of at-risk children, for organizations such as Meals on Wheels and Hope House womens shelter and as a swimming instructor at the Fairwood pool. Marcia passed away unexpectedly on December 1 while returning from a trip to Israel, having just done one of the things she loved to do. A celebration of Marcias life is scheduled for Friday December 29, 10:00am at St. Andrews Episcopal Church, 2404 N. Howard St, Spokane, WA 99205. � To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of Marcia, please visit our Tree Store. Read more Events DEC 1