Mary Ellen Ethridge

Mary Ellen Ethridge passed away on Jan. 12, in the company of family at Whidbey General Hospital, from complications of pneumonia. Mary was born Feb. 18, 1926 to Martha and Glenn Wagner in Walla Walla, Wash. She was raised in LaGrande, Ore., where in 1944, she met a young Army Air Corps Lieutenant, Virgil “Bill” Ethridge. Shortly after their marriage, Bill was deployed to England as a B-17 bombardier. After the war, Mary and Bill moved to Southern California, where Bill attended and graduated from USC. The couple moved numerous times over the years, settling in Vancouver, Wash. in 1961. After a stint as an assembly worker for Textronix, Mary enrolled at the University of Portland, earning a Master’s Degree in psychology in 1970. She then worked as a rehab counselor for several Portland social service agencies.

In 1979, Mary and Bill built their dream retirement home on Scenic Heights Drive, between Oak Harbor and Coupeville. Never one to be idle, Mary looked for opportunities to become involved in their new community and worked for a time as the director of the Tennex sheltered workshop, as well as an instructor at Skagit Valley College. A life-long lover of music and the arts, Mary took cello lessons and completed an intensive two-year City and Guilds Design Certificate program. She and Bill were instrumental in organizing and managing the Whidbey Island Jazz Festival. In 2008, Mary and Bill helped spearhead an effort to create an Island County Veteran’s Memorial, which now stands at the Coupeville Law and Justice Center.

Mary is survived by her husband Bill, brother Bob (Audeen), daughter Linda Caton (John), son Doug (Sue), grandchildren Alex Caton and Nick Caton (Julie), and great-granddaughter Kaeldra Caton.

Memorial gifts in Mary’s name are welcomed to Senior Services of Island County and the Whidbey Island Hospital fund. The community is invited to a celebration of Mary’s life 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 17 at the Coupeville Methodist Church.