Marietta Cerezin Vlahovich

Obituary Marietta Cerezin Vlahovich passed away on November 5, 2011 after a long illness. Marietta was born July 1, 1932 in Viganj-Peljesac, Croatia, on the Dalmatian Coast in the former Yugoslavia. Etta was born to her mother Maria and father Joe Cerezin. In August 1939, war was coming. Marietta was only 7 years old when her father decided to have his family leave the country to meet up with him in Vancouver Canada where he had been working to support his family for the previous three years. Family history says that Maria and her children caught the last ship that made it across the Atlantic safely from France to Canada before the war broke out. The family settled in Vancouver, British Columbia among a very active and family-friendly Croatian community which provided support and entertainment for the Croatian families living in Vancouver. Father Joseph supported his family as a purse seine fisherman and mother Marija was a homemaker raising her two kids as they attended Catholic schools. Marietta eventually attended Vancouver Business College and as a young adult worked in the construction industry until she met the love of her life, an American named George Vlahovich. George and Marietta were married on December 1, 1956 in Vancouver, Canada and eventually settled in Tacoma, WA where George had grown up. Etta and George would eventually have three children: Steve, Nick, and Teresa. They would raise the kids in a fishing family and Catholic education as both parents had been. The Vlahovich's would enjoy 55 years together raising their children and being active in the local community with a large group of friends. Marietta was a fantastic, tireless, wife and mother. She parented while George fished the summers in Alaska; she endlessly ran the household, drove in carpools, volunteered at St. Patrick Parish, the Tacoma Catholic Women's Club and the Tacoma chapter of the Slavonian American Benevolent Society. Marietta's pride was her cooking where she had a reputation among family and friends for the best seafood and pastries. Eventually, she chaired the committee that published the Slav Hall's first cookbook. Through it all she set an example to all with her faith, walking the 8 blocks from her home to St. Patrick's Church for many years. In all this, Marietta always kept family first with taking her family continually to Vancouver for visits and flying with George to Croatia from time to time. Marietta's great passion was her family: constantly stressing the importance of faith, closeness, education and togetherness. She will be forever remembered by all she touched as the best wife, mother and friend. She is survived by her husband George, her children Steve (Colleen), Nick (Terri), and Teresa (Bill), 9 grandchildren: Mark, Matt, Michael, Katherine, Haley, Jessica, Andrew, Ryan and Clara, her brother Steve, sister-in-law Marjorie, her niece Lisa (Dale), and their two girls Nicole and Molly. Funeral Mass will be celebrated Friday, November 11, 2011 at 11:00 am at St. Patrick Catholic Church. A reception will follow in the Parish Hall. Inurnment at Calvary Cemetery. The family would like to express their appreciation to all of Marietta's caregivers over the last 3 years. The family requests that donations be made to the Alzheimer's Association of America.