February 24, 1937 – July 25, 2022

Marilyn (Suzan) Mae Wortley was born on February 24, 1937 in Topeka, Kansas to Marion Stuart McKitrick and Mildred McKitrick. She had two brothers, Ron and Denny. Her early life was complicated and she and brother Ron were cared for first by their paternal grandparents, Harry Denton and Minnie Mae McKitrick and then raised by their father’s sister and her husband, Ethel and George Gruver.

George and Ethel were fruit farmers and kept farm animals as well. Sue often recalled riding her beloved cow, April, and being chased by the farm’s turkeys. Sue attended school in Naches, WA and graduated from Naches High School. She was social and participated in clubs, played in the band and was a cheerleader. After high school, she studied nursing at Deaconess Hospital and Nursing School in Spokane.

She met and married William Jay Wortley in 1959 in Yakima, WA. They soon had three children and eventually settled in Federal Way, WA. Sue and Bill enjoyed tennis, golf and gardening. They were avid Mariner fans and supporters, had season tickets for years and were members of the RBI Club. Sue was an excellent seamstress and worked in that capacity for Nordstrom’s Place Two in Federal Way for many years.

While she had many friends and enjoyed traveling, she most loved being surrounded by and cooking for her family. Her taco salad and Texas sheet cake were summer favorites and her holiday turkey and pies were famous. Sue loved to laugh and had a beautiful smile.

Sue spent her twilight years in her Federal Way home with her Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and her cats, visiting with friends and family, and tending to her garden. She took special pride in her roses.

Sue passed away at Tacoma General Hospital on July 25, 2022. She was 85 years old. She was preceded in death by her husband Bill (2014) and is survived by her three children, Traci Lynn Tipple of Gig Harbor, WA, Scott Douglas (Lori) Wortley of Everett, WA, and Tari Suzanne (Pat) Walker, as well as her six grandchildren: Amanda (Jeff) Davis, Elizabeth Tipple, Annie Tipple, Cooper Wortley, Nathan Wortley and Ella Wortley.

She will be interred at Terrace Heights Cemetery in Yakima, WA along with her husband and near other close family members.