We are sad to announce the passing of Marilyn Jean Rocha, also known as Aunt Jeanie to her nieces and nephews. She was born on November 22, 1939 and she died peacefully in her sleep on Thursday July 18, 2019 at the age of 79.

Marilyn grew up in Carlotta and graduated from Fortuna High in 1957. Throughout high school she played the clarinet in the school band. Later she joined the Ferndale Booster Band club, where a group of people would come together to make music and have fun. After high school she decided to move to Santa Rosa to take college courses on accounting. When she moved back to Fortuna, she met her loving soon-to-be-husband Franklin John at the skating rink. They married on May 24, 1959. In 1965, Franklin and Marilyn started their dairy business in Ferndale. Here is where they lived and raised their four children, until their retirement in 2007.

In 1983, Marilyn and her sister Edna Borges opened their own successful clothing store called Fashion Crossroads at the Eureka Mall. Marilyn then semi-retired and worked as a food demonstrator for WDS at Costco for 13 years. In other words, she was the sweet Costco lady that handed out the free samples.

Marilyn enjoyed many things throughout her life. She loved to play cards and a dice game called Zonk with her husband and her good friends, John and Rose Berry and Ray and Marie Jorgenson. She loved family trips to the beach, yearly trips to Reno with her husband, and was a Ferndale Wildcat fan, where she attended as many games as possible. She also volunteered as a 4-H leader, where she taught the kids how to sew and always stayed involved in the 4-H group.

Some of her favorite things to do were go to yard sales and antique stores to add to her Barbie and crystal collections. She also loved to go on big shopping sprees with her daughter and her grandchildren, and maybe spent a little to much time in each store. Another thing she loved to do was to go camping down at Benbow. She spent many summers there camping with the “The Girls” – Jerry Sousa, Mary Moore, Pat Tomsini, Loretta Alexander and Carol Deligaggo, along with their children and close friends. They would spend many hours together, playing cards and dealing with the kids causing trouble around the campground.

Now, Marilyn loved her kids, but she was all about the grandkids. She attended as many of their events as possible including sporting events, school functions, music concerts, graduations, showings at the fair and birthday parties. No matter how far away or how crazy of a car ride it took to get there.

Marilyn leaves behind her children Cris (Doris) Rocha of Tillamook, Oregon, Craig (Robin) Rocha of Rio Dell, Caprice (Tracy) Stowe of Fortuna, and Cory (Loretta) Rocha of Ferndale; her grandchildren SFC Amber (Jeff) Huffman of Suffolk, Virginia, Jennifer (Seth) Johnston and Christopher Rocha of Tillmook, Oregon, Lillian Chase-Rocha of Fortuna, Gabby Gonzalez of Rio Dell, Lexi and Kelten Stowe of Fortuna, Zack, Cassidy, and Caden Rocha of Ferndale CA; her great-grandchildren Cody Perry of Suffolk, Virginia, and Rachel and Colt Johnston of Tillamook, Oregon; her brother Ron Tompkins of Fortuna, Ernie Tompkins of Fortuna, Bobby (Diane) Tompkins of Nampa, Idaho; her sister Edna (George) Borges of Ferndale; and many nieces and nephews.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Franklin Rocha; her daughter Chloe Rocha; her parents Margret Lake and Ellison Tompkins; her sister-in-law Angie Tompkins.

Please join us Friday, July 26 at Gobles Fortuna Mortuary, 560 12th Street in Fortuna starting at 12 p.m. Then there will be a burial at Sunset Memorial at 2 p.m. A reception will follow immediately after at Ferndale City Hall, 834 Main Street, Ferndale.

The family would like to thank the staff at Sea View for making Mom’s last days as happy and as comfortable as can be.

Cherished by family, friends, and all whose lives she touched. Her brightness will never fade.

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