Marjorie Jean Abraham

Marjorie “Margie” Abraham died at her Port Townsend home April 29, 2025. She was 99 years old.

Born in Republic, WA, November 20, 1925, Margie was the daughter of Dennis and Mary Sullivan. The family, which included Margie’s brother, Dennie, moved to Port Townsend in 1928. The Sullivans owned and operated Sullivan’s Grocery Store until 1963.

On July 14, 1945, Margie married Glenn Dean Abraham, Jr., also of Port Townsend. Glenn had served in the US Army Air Corp in World War II. They first met in grade school, as Glenn’s family had also moved to Port Townsend in 1928.

During the war, Margie and her friend, Mary Okert, tap danced in USO reviews at Fort Worden, Fort Casey, and Fort Townsend. Tap dancing returned to her life in the 1980s, when she joined a ladies tap group at the O’Meara Dance Studio. She was a favorite in annual recitals, and later, in the studio’s Fantabulous Follies, dancing and singing onstage through age 90.

Of course there was much more going on in her life than dancing. She and Glenn lived in Seattle while he finished college and law school, then to Pullman, WA, where Glenn taught business law at WSU. Margie worked as an accountant and was part of a women’s painting group in Pullman. They returned to Port Townsend in 1956. Glenn established his private law practice. Margie worked as his secretary- -until they had a disagreement about billing. Their daughter, Patricia Ann, was born in 1957, followed by Susan Denise in 1959.

Once the girls were in school Margie returned to work, this time supervising the women’s department at Daubie’s clothing store. Her boss, Donna Daubenberger, was her best friend since first grade. Margie and Donna were heavily involved in civic projects. In the 1970s they founded Trees for Port Townsend, an all-volunteer nonprofit organization that planted hundreds of street trees in the city. The project proved award-winning, and Margie and Donna were honored as Port Townsend Citizens of the Year in recognition of their years-long efforts. Margie also served on various scholarship committees, the Fort Worden Advisory Committee, and was a volunteer CPR instructor for the Red Cross.

In the 1970s she became involved in community quilt-making projects, with a themed quilt block made by each participant. Subjects ranged from local Victorian buildings to butterflies. The quilts were sometimes raffled for community project fundraising, at other times made by family and friends as gifts for newly-married couples.

The Abrahams were a boating family. In the summer Margie, Glenn and the girls sailed to the San Juan and Gulf Islands, and later Vancouver Island. They left the kids at home to circumnavigate Vancouver Island, sailing the Taku alongside their best friends, Donna and Jim Daubenberger, on the Stella Maris. Margie was an inspiration to the local sailing community, and was honored with a Wooden Boat Festival Lifetime Achievement Award in 2024.

Family came first with Margie. Her parents and in-laws all lived in Port Townsend, and she was thrilled when granddaughter Glenna arrived in 1985. Donna and Jim Daubenberger, their children and grandchildren were also family to her.

Margie was preceded in death by Glenn, her brother Dennie Sullivan, parents Mary and Dennis Sullivan, and in-laws Glenn and Gretchen Abraham and their children. 

She is survived by daughters Ann Abraham (Kurt Holmes) and Susan Matley, granddaughter Glenna Denise Nelson, niece KarenLee Abraham Eaton (Elizabeth Appling), nephew Tim Jones, and great- niece Sara Pierce.

A celebration of life will be held July 26, 1-4 P, at Elks Lodge #317 in Port Townsend. Memorial contributions may be directed to the Port Townsend High School Scholarship Foundation, the Port Townsend High School Alumni Association or the American Red Cross.