Marie Wiley Ross

Marie Elinor Wiley Ross, 94, passed away on November 27, 2024, in Pleasanton, CA. A resident of the Livermore Valley since the 1950s, Marie raised four rambunctious kids and served as 4-H leader, special education teacher, and Symphony Guild volunteer. She leaves many fond memories with family and friends.

Marie was born at Long Beach, CA to Lt. Commander (later Rear Admiral, USN, ret.) Herbert V. Wiley and the former Marie Frances Scroggie. Her mother died of complications three days after her birth and young Marie was raised by her father and a series of nurses and family friends. When she was five, her father married Charlotte "Blossom" Mayfield Weeden, and she was formally adopted by her stepmother. Marie was one of the last living people to have been on a Navy dirigible - as a young child she was brought aboard during her father's career commanding the big airships in the 1930s. The family moved often as H.V. Wiley's naval career progressed and by the time the precocious Marie graduated from high school she had attended 13 different schools. Through all these changes, she said she always felt loved and cared for, and throughout her life Marie maintained a positive attitude.

After graduating from Katherine Delmar Burke School in San Francisco, Marie attended Stanford University and then Cal Berkeley, where she graduated in 1951. She worked as a schoolteacher and enjoyed outdoor activities including skiing, hiking, and camping. At a Sierra Club outing, Marie met her future husband, William (Bill) Nisbet Ross, an engineer at Lawrence Livermore Laboratory. They married on June 14, 1953 and settled in Danville. Their four children, Catherine, Ian, Joel, and Robert, were born in rapid succession. In 1959 the family moved to Livermore and a few years later bought and renovated a 100-year-old farmhouse on Tesla Road. Bill's mother Helen eventually joined the household, where there was plenty of room for raising active kids and numerous animals both wild and domestic, as well as a workshop, walnut orchard, and garden.

During her kids' childhood, Marie energetically supported their 4-H activities, and she continued as a 4-H leader for over 35 years. She also returned to teaching, focused on classes for special needs children in the Livermore School District. Marie was always interested in nature and enjoyed the outdoors. When her kids were young, she was gung-ho for the many family camping trips, exploring parks and forests all over the West, as well as a legendary 6-week road trip to Maine and back in 1960, with four young children, three still in (cloth!) diapers.

With Bill, she traveled to England, Scotland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark, as well as many places in North America. After she retired from teaching, Marie expanded her travels, visiting many countries with a group of adventurous women. She became an ardent birder, identifying hundreds of species on expeditions around the world. In her 70s she was certified in scuba diving and traveled with her "snorkel buddies" to Belize, Honduras, Hawaii, Fiji, and other diving/snorkeling and bird watching destinations.

Marie hosted her own grand 80th birthday party in 2010, a memorable gathering of family and friends from near and far. She surprised herself by living 14 more years. In 2015, after nearly 60 years in Livermore, Marie moved to Stoneridge Creek in Pleasanton. Until recently, she stayed connected with friends in Livermore at the Symphony Guild, Daughters of the American Revolution, St. Batholomew's Episcopal Church, and bunco, bridge and stitchery groups. She knitted and cross-stitched in every spare moment, completing many projects given as treasured gifts to family and friends.

Marie was an intelligent, well-read, upbeat woman who loved to socialize. With her cheery attitude and knack for conversation she was welcome at any event or on any trip. She had a lifelong interest in learning, taking classes in art and history, and reading every detailed sign in museums. Marie loved tending her garden, cultivating plants and flowers from sprigs she collected. Some of the cacti she collected during camping trips in the desert still live on at her son's house. Marie took great interest in family history and genealogy, she was proud of her Scottish, Irish and English roots.

Marie is survived by her son Ian Ross and his wife Jody Edwards of Santa Rosa, CA, daughter Catherine Bump (Robert) of Dillon, MT, and son Joel Ross (Glenda, deceased) of Clovis, CA. She was also "Mom" to Norwegian exchange student Trine Melvaer, a relationship that began in 1971. Marie was predeceased by her youngest son Robert and his wife Greta who died in a tragic accident at Yosemite in 1985, and her husband Bill, who died in 2000. Marie was proud grandmother to Ryan, Erin, Erika, Robert, Amy, John, and Kalen, and lived to greet eight great-grandchildren. She is also fondly remembered by nieces Norma Wiley Lee, Liza Wiley, and Janis Edelman, nephew Bill Wiley, and numerous grand-nieces and nephews to whom she faithfully sent cards and gifts each birthday and holiday. She always tried to stay in touch, leaving us boxes of handwritten letters and postcards.

No memorial services are planned at this time. Marie's ashes will be interred next to her husband's in the Ross family gravesite at Swan Point Cemetery, in Providence, RI.