Mary Ann Lamsek

Mary Ann Lamsek passed away peacefully on July 30, 2025, surrounded by her family. She died from complications of cancer treatment after a long and courageous battle with breast cancer.

Mary Ann was born in Tacoma on June 16, 1944, to parents John and Patricia Reisinger. She was the eldest of eight siblings. She graduated high school from St. Thomas Aquinas Academy in Tacoma in 1962.

Mary Ann was known for her strength and resilience. When she was 18 years old, she helped her father with a roofing project at the family business to earn money to pay for college expenses. She accidentally lost her footing and fell 20 feet into a pool of newly poured tar, resulting in a fractured pelvis and severe burns to her body. She made a full recovery after spending six weeks in the hospital. When asked how she felt after the fall she said, “It didn’t hurt.”

To pay her way through college at Seattle University, Mary Ann worked part time at a doctor’s office. While in college, she met Alan, who later became her husband. They met for the first time when Alan was looking for a used book for a class he planned to take, and Mary Ann had the book from having recently taken the class. Alan bargained with her to get a lower price on the book. He subsequently asked her to dinner at a local Chinese restaurant, where she enjoyed so much food that it more than made up for the money he saved on the book!

Mary Ann graduated from Seattle University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1966. She and Alan got married later that summer. They lived in the Lower Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle and bought their first house in the nearby Magnolia neighborhood less than two years later in preparation for the birth of their first child in 1968. They raised three children in Magnolia and continued to live there for the rest of Mary Ann’s life.

Mary Ann was well regarded for her creativity and her ability to make challenging tasks look effortless. She went to great lengths to make things special for others and she was generous with her time in helping others. She made holidays and celebrations memorable with the ornate decorating she did, particularly around Christmas. She baked and decorated elaborate cakes and other treats for birthdays and special occasions. She sewed matching outfits for her family to wear on special occasions. Her children were always delighted with the costumes she would lovingly make for them for Halloween. While she considered cooking a chore, Mary Ann was an excellent cook, and meals were a focal point of family gatherings. There were several signature dishes she prepared, most notably a famous potato salad that people loved. Mary Ann maintained a vibrant garden over the years, growing berries, vegetables, herbs, and flowers. She saved money for the household by canning fruits and vegetables in the summer and by making her own jams for the family to enjoy throughout the year. 

 A couple of years after the birth of her youngest child, Mary Ann pursued her floristry degree from South Seattle Community College and launched her business, Creations by Mary Ann. Doing flowers for weddings was her specialty, and she arranged flowers for weddings and other life occasions for clients as well as family members and friends. When she arranged flowers for large weddings, she enlisted the aid of her entire family who worked as her assistants. She later expanded her business to include other creations, such as silk and dried floral arrangements and other home decor, and opened her shop, Mary Ann’s Floral Art Studio in Magnolia. Later, she developed an interest in beading, creating numerous beautifully elaborate pieces of jewelry, which she either sold or shared as special gifts with her family.

Mary Ann was someone you could count on to not only get the job done but to get it done well. In 1997, she agreed to provide flowers for a wedding that was scheduled for later in the month but was unexpectedly admitted to the hospital to treat a blood clot that had formed between her skull and brain. Despite her medical condition, Mary Ann was determined to fulfill her obligation, so her family rallied around her to make it so. Immediately after being discharged from the hospital, she and her family worked together to make sure all the flowers and arrangements were prepared and delivered in time for the wedding. The bride and her mother were delighted with the results and shocked to learn after the wedding that Mary Ann had just undergone brain surgery! 

Mary Ann was devoted to her church, Our Lady of Fatima, where she spent countless hours volunteering in service to her faith community. For many years, she led the committee that decorated the church for Christmas and Easter, and she served as the church’s wedding coordinator. She also enjoyed singing in the folk choir and playing in the bell choir. Outside of Church, she volunteered at her children’s preschool, as her older daughter’s Camp Fire Blue Birds group leader, and as her younger daughter’s Girl Scouts troop leader.

When Mary Ann was not working or volunteering, she loved spending time with her family at her and Alan’s home away from home, a condominium at Lake Chelan, which they acquired in 1984. She also enjoyed going on many trips and cruises with her family to destinations, such as Alaska, Hawaii, California, New York, Washington DC, Mexico, the Caribbean, Panama, London, Scotland, Ireland, and Rome.

Mary Ann was elated when her first grandchild arrived in 2006. She loved being a grandma and doting on her grandchildren. They are blessed to have had her in their lives. She also adored her family’s pet cats over the years.

Mary Ann battled breast cancer in 2013 and again from 2023 until her passing. She approached this phase of her life with grace, courage, and strength despite the physical and mental toll cancer took on her body. Her family is tremendously grateful to the entire team at the Polyclinic and Swedish Hospital who cared for Mary Ann during this journey.

Mary Ann is survived by her husband, Alan; children, Ann Marie (Dongho), Julianne, and David (Ericka); grandchildren, Mia, Jayden, Logan, Makena, Declan, and Emma; and siblings, John, Pat, Barbara, Richard, Larry, Lynne, and David. She was preceded in death by her newborn son, Michael, and her parents.

The family requests those who wish to express sympathy to consider donating to Our Lady of Fatima School Endowment, a cancer research institution, or another charity of your choice.

A Funeral Mass was be held at Our Lady of Fatima Church, 3218 W Barrett St, Seattle on Thursday, August 7, 2025 at 11:00am.

Please share memories, photos & condolences on the guestbook, located below. 

Arrangements entrusted to Emmick Funeral Home Lake View of Seattle, Washington