Mary Sagerson

Mary Jane (Meighan) Sagerson, 64, died peacefully at her home in Grapeview, Washington, on March 18, 2008. Following a long battle with multiple sclerosis, she succumbed to pneumonia after a short illness. Mary was born and raised in Spokane, Washington. She was a graduate of Holy Names Academy and Gonzaga University. In addition to two years at Rosary College in Chicago, she attended the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, during her junior year abroad. She married Ron Sagerson of Spokane on June 25, 1966. They moved to Grapeview in 1972 to raise Island Belle grapes. Mary was a co-founder in 1976 of Stretch Island Fruit Tannery, a food processing business located in Allyn, WA. She helped manage the family business for over 20 years. She served on the Grapeview School District Board of Directors for 13 years. An avid writer, she published two books: Grapeview, the Detroit of the West, which is an early history of Grapeview (co-authored by Duane Robinson); and The Reluctant Cook, a cookbook for new cooks (illustrated by Holly Sagerson Allen). In addition to writing, Mary loved to travel, especially with her sister-in-law Suzanne (Sagerson) and brother-in-law Bob Love. Mary loved gardening, cooking, reading, music, and her family. She also had a great fondness for chocolate. She is survived by her husband Ron of Grapeview; son Bob Sagerson and wife Amy with children Andrew, Elizabeth, and Tyler of Mercer Island; son Peter Sagerson of Seattle; and daughter Holly Allen of Portland and husband David with son Nathan. She is also survived by four brothers and many nieces and nephews. A celebration of Mary's life will be held at Rill's Life Tribute Center in Port Orchard at 2:00 pm on Tuesday, March 25, 2008. Remembrances may be made to the National MS Society. There is an Irish sympathy we would like to share with you: Death is a heartache no one can heal Love leaves the memories no one can steal. So many have shared stories of how Mary's life touched us and in tribute to her memory there is a team organized to participate April 12th at the MS Walk in Tacoma. Everyone is welcome to join either in the walk itself or by donating to the team.