ErrolLynne Ackerson Marsh

ErrolLynne Ackerson Marsh passed away April 23, 2025, after a long, hard-fought battle with cancer. ErrolLynne was a resident of Puyallup for nearly 50 years, where she and her husband, Dr. William G. Marsh, raised their three sons, made lifelong friends, and dedicated themselves to enriching and supporting their beloved community. She was most recently part of the Wesley Retirement Community.

Those fortunate enough to have met or worked with ErrolLynne know that she had a heart for service. ErrolLynne had a smile that made everyone feel welcome. She was affable, compassionate, curious, active, positive, courageous, resourceful, artistic, strong, and organized to a fault (her family joked that if you stood still too long near her, the label maker may come out and you'd be indexed). She loved to play cards and unique board games with her seven grandchildren and cherished the connections she made playing them. She was a fierce and competitive mahjong player. ErrolLynne was a great baker, cake decorator, and cook - often making her family amazing meals and custom birthday cakes. She also loved the theater and never missed an opportunity to see a play or a musical, whether at the Tacoma Musical Playhouse or on Broadway in New York City.



ErrolLynne was born in Corvallis, Oregon on 20 September 1947. She was the eldest of five children - three brothers and a sister. Her parents, Brig. General Colin Wright Ackerson, U.S. Army, and SK3 Dorothy Jean McNair Ackerson, veteran of the U.S. Navy WAVES, were active duty members during the Second World War. ErrolLynne grew up in Milwaukie, Oregon where she attended Oak Grove Elementary School before moving to the Seattle area, where she attended Nathan Eckstein Middle School, Roosevelt High School, and later, Nathan Hale High School, where she became the second person to graduate in the first graduating class of 1965.

After graduating from high school, ErrolLynne went on to attend the University of Oregon. Attending Oregon transformed ErrolLynne's life - and not just her wardrobe (green, yellow, and all things Donald Duck). At Oregon, ErrolLynne was a sister of the Delta Zeta sorority. During a social event at Tau Kappa Epsilon, she first became aware of her future husband. When William "Bill" Gardner Marsh - then President of TKE and affectionately nicknamed 'Mother Marsh' - was enforcing the rules and decreed that all "adult beverages" had to be off the premises before he returned, ErrolLynne turned to her then 'date' and declared 'I'm going to marry that man'.

While in college, she worked in the Del Monte canning facility in Salem, Oregon. She worked in the Science Tech division testing the canning of string beans. Bill worked stacking the cans on pallets. It should be noted that after this stint, neither ErrolLynne nor Bill forced their kids to eat string beans.

On 11 January 1969, Bill and ErrolLynne married in Salem, Oregon, and moved to Portland, where Bill attended and graduated from the University of Oregon School of Medicine (now Oregon Health Sciences University) with the support of the U.S. Navy. While in Portland, Robert and Kirke were born. Their third child, Bryan, was born in Ohio while the family was stationed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

The family moved to Whidbey Island, Washington, while Dr. Marsh was stationed at Oak Harbor Naval Air Station. While in Oak Harbor, ErrolLynne was active in the Mount Baker Area Council (Boy Scouts), where she received the Order of Merit award among other accolades. In 1978, the family moved to Puyallup, Washington, where Dr. Marsh established his medical practice at the Summit View Clinic.

ErrolLynne was active in Boy Scouts of America, both as a den mother and in the local council, where she supported the camps each year in Wildwood Park and organized several Blue and Golds.

In the Puyallup School District, ErrolLynne volunteered as a School Management Assistant working with the staff and administration in various schools, including Woodland and Pope Elementaries. In the late 1980s, ErrolLynne went back to the University of Oregon, where she completed her Bachelor of Science in mathematics before returning to Puyallup and getting a Washington State Teaching Certificate from Pacific Lutheran University. ErrolLynne taught mathematics in the Puyallup School District for many years at Kalles Jr. High, Ballou Jr. High, and finally retired from teaching at Puyallup High School.

ErrolLynne was very spiritual and remained ever-strong in her faith. She supported the local Presbyterian churches and the surrounding communities. She served as a Sunday school teacher at First Presbyterian Church in Puyallup in the 80s and organized Vacation Bible School. She became active in a newly established Evergreen Presbyterian Church in Graham to help support its start. Later, she returned to First Presbyterian Church in Puyallup, where she was a Ruling Elder and served as its Financial Secretary. ErrolLynne was instrumental in helping to make First Presbyterian Church a Matthew 25 Church, which seeks to build congregational vitality, dismantle structural racism, and eradicate systemic poverty. She recently served on the Board of Trustees as the Vice Moderator and then the Moderator for the Olympia Presbytery and was honored for her service. Other highlights include her work with the establishment of the Umoja Presbyterian Church in Tacoma and her efforts to return or protect the tribal lands upon which the Sound View Camp and Retreat reside.

ErrolLynne is survived by her husband; her three sons: Robert, his wife Yarrow McConnell, and Robert's three children-William, Kyra, and Regan; Kirke, his wife Michelle, and their children-Mathew (a freshman at her beloved University of Oregon) and Kerilyn; and Bryan, his wife Faina, and their children-Shaya and Jaclyn.

She is also survived by two brothers: Mark Ackerson, his wife Rita, their children and grandchildren; and Colin "Corky" Ackerson II, his wife Judy, and their grandchildren.

Additionally, she is survived by her husband, children, and grandchildren of her late sister, Becky Brown, and the children and grandchildren of her late brother, Jeffrey Ackerson.

A service and celebration of life will be scheduled shortly. Updates will be added.

For donations in lieu of flowers, please consider an 'in memory donation' to one of the following: MultiCare Cancer Care (please be sure to use the Good Samaritan Giving page and "direct my donation to Multicare Cancer Institute East Pierce County" in the drop-down menu), Tacoma Musical Playhouse, or Puyallup St. Francis House.