Marilyn Sieminski, July 15, 1948-Nov. 21, 2011
Marilyn A. Sieminski, age 63, passed away peacefully at Alaska Native Medical Center on Nov. 21, 2011.
Marilyn was born July 15, 1948 in Seward, Alaska to Caroline and Jim Toloff. A lifelong Seward resident, Marilyn worked in a variety of industries, but was best known for owning and operating Western Auto for 30 years with her late husband, Bruce.
In her early years, Marilyn was active in 4-H, Rainbow Girls, and the Lutheran Church League. She was an Honor Society graduate of Seward High School. After graduation, Marilyn held a variety of community jobs. She was a notable secretary and bookkeeper for many industries including First National Bank of Alaska for 11 years and Alaska Scallop.
In the spring of 1968 she met her future husband, Bruce Sieminski, a scallop fisherman from Massachusetts. In December of 1970, they married and within a few short years produced two sons and their future business.
Marilyn’s hobbies and passions included, spending time with her grandchildren, tackling home-based projects, collecting a variety of curios, caring for her pets, visiting with community members (most notably her life-long friend Candy Norman) and hosting holiday gatherings with her family. Marilyn enjoyed playing bingo and traveling to Reno with her mother. She loved spending time with her sons and was especially proud of their life achievements.
Marilyn was known for her loving personality, quirky sense of humor and overall caring nature. She was the matriarch of her family and strongly supported her community and country. She will be dearly missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing her.
Marilyn was preceded in death by her sister, Terri Toloff (Marilyn’s bone marrow donor recipient); her father, James Toloff; and her husband, Bruce Sieminski. She is survived by her brother and sister-in-law Walter and Nancy Sieminski; sister-in-law Sandra Brodie; mother Caroline Toloff and Gilbert Ollestad; her sister and brother-in-law Toni and Mike Koob; niece and husband Terri and Clint Draper; nephew Garrett Berg; her brother and sister-in-law Peter and Jodi Toloff; nephew Evan and niece Alex; her son and daughter-in-law Daniel and Kristen Sieminski; and grandchildren Shelby and Natalie; her son Anthony Sieminski and Ann Carr; and beloved pets Candy, Denali, Gypsy and Sophia.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Seward Volunteer Ambulance Corp ., P.O. Box 1136; Seward Volunteer Fire Department, P.O. Box 832; or the Bear Creek Volunteer Fire Department, P.O. Box 1565, all in Seward 99664.