Mary Ann (Guerra) Morales

Mary Ann Morales, age 79, passed away Sunday morning, March 3, 2019 at her residence in Tacoma, Washington.  She is preceded by her sister, Ruth Ritch, Rebecca Hernandez, Daniel Guerra, Ismael Guerra, and Elias Guerra.  She was born on April 23, 1939 in San Jose, California, daughter of the late Louis and Apolonia Guerra.  Mary married the love of her life, Jose “Pepe” Morales on May 10, 1963 in Alameda County, California. Together, they then moved to Pomona, California where they started their family and lived for the next 16 years. Mary and Pepe eventually settled in Tacoma, Washington. They have been married for over 56 years and lived in the same residence for almost 40 years.  Mary was wonderfully devoted to her three daughters: Terry (Brian) Foster, Louise (Manuel) Martinez, Joann (Brian) Parker, and son, Dennis Morales.  She is also survived by her two sisters: Dora Ball, Eva Sum and their spouses.   Not only was she devoted to her children, Mary was also their biggest supporter because of her ability to create something out of nothing.  Mary’s parents died when she was young and was forced to create a future from very little.  When Mary and Pepe became parents, they fashioned a home that fostered resilience and perseverance.  Now that her children have become adults, Mary stood proud at each of her children’s achievements because of what she was able to provide and endure.  Even as she grew older in life, Mary found the courage to prove to her children that she was stronger than any chronic illness because she has created far more than it can destroy.  She was a loving Grandma to her eight grandchildren: Anita Burton, Nicholas Foster, Daniel Foster, Edward Martinez, Catarino Martinez, Lydia Harding, Jayme French, and Alex Parker.  She is also very fortunate to have to have twenty-one great-grandchildren.  Mary was a caring soul to others—especially to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  No matter what situation, paths, or choices her grandchildren made in life, Mary loved each and every grandchild unconditionally because she always felt that her grandchildren filled a space in her heart that she never knew was empty.  To quote a video Mary posted on Facebook on Sunday, February 24th, “I can’t promise my grandchildren that I’ll be here for the rest of their lives, but I can promise that I will love them for the rest of mine.”  She was loyal and honest, sometimes brutally.  Only ask Mary for her opinion if you were looking for an unfiltered, subjective answer. Mary never meant any harm, but only sought to view the world with some clarity.  Over the past few years, Mary faced health challenges with a positive attitude with the support of her biggest fan, Pepe. Mary and Pepe were inseparable and spent each of their days enjoying life. In her free time, Mary enjoyed traveling, watching sports, and going out to the movies. She was an avid Seattle Mariners fan and her favorite player was Felix Hernandez. During baseball season, you could find Mary sitting with Pepe at home rooting on the Mariners.  Though they have not been the best team in recent times, she was a die-hard fan no matter who played for the team. Mary also loved to spend time with her family and attending family events.

Special thanks to the wonderful doctors and nurses at Kaiser Permanente and Fresenius Kidney Care who provided invaluable care for Mary over the last few months.

Services will begin at 12:00 p.m. at Weeks Dryer Mortuary in Tacoma, Washington and continue at 2:15 p.m. at Tahoma National Cemetery, 18600 SE 240th Street, Kent, Washington, 98042.  Mary’s beautiful family will serve as urnbearers. 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Mary Ann (Guerra) Morales, please visit our floral store.