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Marie Pickford, 68

Marie Eileen Pickford, age 68, of Fernan Lake Village, died Thursday, March 1, 2018. She was born to Thomas and Shirley (Stark) Petrulas, in Los Angeles, Calif. on Jan. 7, 1950. She and her family lived in Santa Maria, Coalinga and ultimately Bakersfield, Calif. Marie met Patrick W. Pickford when she was a sophomore at Foothills High School, where she graduated in 1968. They were married June 14, 1969 and would have celebrated their 49th wedding anniversary this summer.

After their marriage they moved to Fresno, Calif., where Pat attended college and played football at Fresno State University. He graduated in 1974, coached high school football and was a middle school teacher. Marie worked at Long’s Drug Store as a cosmetic salesperson and later owned and operated two Merle Norman Cosmetics stores in Fresno and Madera, Calif. She was also divisional manager for World Book Encyclopedia. Ultimately she obtained her real estate license and worked at Guarantee Real Estate in Fresno.

Along the way, Marie and Pat had two sons, Kevin in 1975 and Troy in 1979. The boys were very involved with sports and the folks were busy attending all of their activities. One of Marie’s greatest enjoyments was traveling with her sons during spring training for their respective major league baseball teams.

In 2006 Marie and Pat moved to North Idaho. She worked as a salesperson for Keller Williams CDA, becoming an owner in 2007 and serving as the operating principal for the company. Marie obtained her broker’s license in 2012 and served as designated broker.

Marie was a member of Heart of the City Church, Bible Study Fellowship and Women’s Council of Realtors for which she was named “Entrepreneur of the Year.” She was a certified coach, speaker and trainer for the John C. Maxwell Organization. Marie was even a “Firewalker” at a Tony Robbins Unleash the Power Within Event.

Marie’s greatest love was her family. She and Pat loved being grandparents and watching their granddaughter’s many sports activities. She looked forward to “Grandma Days” with her granddaughters. Marie was an avid reader, lifelong learner, loved to travel and enjoyed eating “great” food. She was a mentor and a “mom” to many. Her mission in life was to always make a lasting impact on those around her. A friend of the family put it best, “Marie inspired, encouraged and loved on others, being the hands and feet of Jesus.”

Marie is survived by her husband, Pat; sons and daughters-in-law, Kevin and Tambra of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, Troy and Staci of San Diego; granddaughters, Taylor, Kendall and Kamryn of Coeur d’Alene; sisters, Susan Nissman of Topanga, Calif. and Lynn Sosa of Los Angeles and several nieces and nephews.

A celebration of Marie’s beautiful life will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, March 9, 2018, at Heart of the City Church, 772 W. Kathleen Ave. in Coeur d’Alene, with Yates Funeral Home in care of the arrangements. Because of Marie’s love of reading and helping others, the family is suggesting memorials be made to purchase books for local school libraries through Coeur d’Alene Educational Partnership P.O. Box 1633 Coeur d’Alene, Idaho 83816.

Please visit Marie’s online memorial and sign her guestbook at www.yatesfuneralhomes.com.