Deanna Magley | Passages

Published 8:30 am Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Deanna Magley, 74, of Friday Harbor, Wash., passed away surrounded by family in Dallas, Texas on October 2, 2015.

She is survived by her high school sweetheart, best friend, and husband, Bob Magley; her brother, Darold; her two children, Megan and Robb; and her four grandchildren – Jack, Lily, Lydia, and Molly.

An accomplished educator and lifelong learner, the example Deanna set for all of us was to live a life filled with kindness, compassion, exploration, warmth and love. It is impossible to overstate her dedication to family; she displayed an unmatched ability to measure the goodness and possibilities that lay within each of us, a quality that made her a wonderful wife, mother and grandmother. It also made her a difficult person to fool, and in hindsight, she almost certainly never was. As children (and grandchildren), the best we could hope was that she might be gracious enough to pretend we had gotten away with something – and fortunately, she was fueled by an unending supply of graciousness.

Deanna walked through the world with a “can-do” attitude that was as generous as it was contagious. She would make meaningful conversation with almost anyone, and could leave total strangers feeling appreciated. And while her taste for adventure might have lessened with age, there’s no doubt she was willing to travel nearly anywhere if it meant spending time with her family. Those journeys — with Bob and the kids, with grandkids, and with great friends— were the backdrop for so many cherished memories that will endure and inspire us all.

If you had the pleasure of knowing Deanna, in lieu of flowers please consider a memorial donation of time or money to the San Juan Historical Museum, 360-378-3949 or sjmuseum.org.