Obituary of Mary Theresa Maylum

Mary Theresa Maylum of Auburn, WA, passed away Friday, March 12, 2021. Mary was born June 29, 1934, in San Francisco, California, to the late Arthur and Loretta Watson. Her family relocated to Seattle when she was a child, and she spent the remainder of her life in the area.

Mary attended Holy Angels Academy in Seattle and graduated in 1953. She attended Seattle University and graduated with a Bachelor’s in Education and her teaching certificate in 1958.  At Seattle U, Mary was a member of the HiYu Coulee Hiking Club and often spoke fondly of her adventures climbing Mt. Si. After graduation, she was involved in the Catholic Alumni Association, the Chancellor Club, and the Irish Club.

Mary’s greatest joy in life was her family. In 1965 she married Ramon Maylum. They were avid square dancers and enjoyed spending time camping with friends at Plants Paradise and later Harmony RV Park in Mossyrock, WA. The two often took road trips to visit family and friends near and far. After Ramon’s death, Mary continued to travel and made several trips to Florida to visit grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Mary never missed an opportunity to gather loved ones together and entertain, usually in her beautiful backyard. A true social butterfly, Mary had a tight-knit group of friends but also never met a stranger. Her faith was her strength and the foundation of everything she did, and she guided her family through good times and bad with love, compassion, and prayer.

Mary was a gifted educator and genuinely passionate about her work. She taught at Star Lake Elementary School in Federal Way. In 1974, she began teaching at St. Vincent de Paul in Federal Way. Generations of families passed through her classroom, all of them learning her signature “give me five” call to attention until her retirement in 1996. She found that while she enjoyed retirement, she missed teaching. Mary returned to work as a substitute teacher and taught in classrooms throughout the Seattle-Tacoma area until 2016.

Tiny in stature but a giant in heart and spirit, Mary leaves a legacy of love and kindness.

Mary was preceded in death by her beloved husband Ramon and daughter Loretta. She will be missed by her daughter Bridget (Jeff), grandchildren Sarah (Brian), Nina (Eric), Raymond, Miranda, and Alexander; her great-granddaughters Everly and Fiona; her niece Gayle (Brian), and many other loving cousins, nieces, nephews, long-time friends, and neighbors.

“Where would any of us be without teachers-without people who have passion for their art of their science of their craft and love it right in front of us? What would any of us do without teachers passing on to us what they know is essential about life?” -Fred Rogers