Our mother, Mary Ellen (Wynne) Aitchison went home to our Lord and Savior on August 29, 2019, and has rejoined the love of her life, Eugene Aitchison, in heaven.
Mary was born in Banner County, Nebraska, on a cattle ranch in the middle of nowhere on August 30, 1926, to Mark and Ruth (Gibler) Wynne. She was raised in a loving family, the oldest of three. She had two brothers, Michael and Mark (aka Bud), who both preceded her in death. The dust bowl hit, and Mary’s family packed up, sold the cattle, and moved to Washington State in October of 1933. Mary attended Pearson Elementary School and North Kitsap High School. She did not graduate, but later obtained her GED. During WWII, Mary worked at Keyport Naval Torpedo Station as a Machinist Helper, where she met Eugene Aitchison. She got his attention by untying his apron string. Mary loved to volunteer. She was active in her sons’ Cub and Boy Scouts troops, daughter’s Brownies and Girl Scouts troop, taught Sunday school, organized church camps, and sorted and shelved food at North Kitsap Fishline Foodbank. Lovingly known as ‘Monday Mary,’ she made 26 dozen cookies nearly every Monday for the high school faculty for 41 years. 30 of those years were spent in the classroom, hired by Ron Smith in 1975. She worked as a teacher’s aide in the reading special-education class. Mary and Eugene never missed their children’s sporting events; riding in rooter buses, sitting on a lot of hard benches, and discovering high school fields and gymnasiums in the dark in all kinds of weather.
Mary and Eugene were married on May 15, 1944, enjoying 58 happy years prior to Eugene’s death in November of 2002. They had seven children, six boys and one girl. They are survived by their children Larry, Terry (Deedra), Kevin (Piera), Robert (Joleen), Penny Martinez (Jim), and John; and daughter-in-law Mary (wife of son, Kenneth, who preceded them in death). Mary and Gene have 25 grandchildren, 55 great-grandchildren, and five great-great grandchildren. Mary’s memorial service will be held at Miller-Woodlawn Cemetery, located at 5505 Kitsap Way, Bremerton, Washington on Saturday, October 5, 2019, at 3 p.m.; reception following the service will be held at the same location. At Mary’s request, in lieu of flowers she asked that her friends and family donate to North Kitsap Fishline.
