Marie Emily Dickerson Cohen

Marie Emily Dickerson Cohen entered Heaven’s Gates on January 12th, 2017 after a long battle with congestive heart disease.

Born Marie Emily Ferguson June 24th, 1931 in Brooklyn, New York, she entered this world with her twin brother Duncan. Raised during the Depression Era, she learned her strong fiscal responsibility and bookkeeping skills from an early age.

During their teenage years, Duncan and Marie earned their pilot’s licenses before they ever drove a car. Duncan built a Piper Cub plane, and both enjoyed flying from the local airport in Long Island, New York. Both worked hard, and Marie bought her first car - a used Model T Ford - with the earnings she saved.

Graduating a year early, Marie began working as a bookkeeper at Grumman Aircraft in New York City where she was the only female employee in an office filled with cigar-smoking men. Her father, William Ferguson, passed away shortly after that and she cared for her mother and worked to take on the mortgage payments for the family home.

While working in New York Marie met a young Navy officer. She met Lt. Mars Rand Dickerson at the company Christmas party in 1957 where the two hit it off right away. Mars and Marie married on October 4th, 1958 and later moved to Bremerton in 1963 when the U.S. Navy stationed the family there. Marie was an active member of Bremerton’s First United Methodist Church as early as 1963. She faithfully worked as bookkeeper and office manager for over 20 years. Marie also served on the church’s finance committee for many years and taught Sunday school. Other volunteer activities included working at Tacoma’s Pantage’s Theater and the University of Puget Sound in the early 1980’s.

Over her many years in the Bremerton area, Marie enjoyed a close circle of friends. She loved cultivating these friendships by gathering for lunch and visiting, sharing stories and offering encouragement and support. More importantly, Marie loved her family and spending time with her son and daughter, as well as her beloved grandchildren. She loved to organize her calendar year with family birthday parties and other family get-togethers. Marie was very fond of cats, and enjoyed nearly two decades of companionship with her last cat, Sheba.

Marie is survived by her two children David (Margie) and Nancy (John), her grandchildren Aidan, Julian, Evan and Desmond, niece Kathy Charlestream, and nephew Tom Ferguson.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you send donations to Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital in Tacoma.