Washington - Marcella Dobrasin McCaffray was born on May 30, 1923, in Lodi, California. She was the daughter of Ned and Adelia Dobrasin and the little sister of Martin Dobrasin.

Marcella passed away on Tuesday, March 15, 2022, just short of her 99th birthday, with her daughters at her side. She will be missed by all who knew and loved her!

Marcella married her college sweetheart, Arthur J. McCaffray and became a Seattleite forever. Marcella and Art raised their two daughters on Capital Hill. She was involved in her daughters' school activities, the Association for Catholic Childhood, and she researched and recorded nature articles for the blind.

Marcella was always gracious and elegant. She had a sharp wit and a great sense of humor. Art freely admitted that these dynamic qualities were a major asset in the success of the family frozen food business.

Marcella had a deep love of the performing arts. After graduating from College of Pacific with an English major and Drama minor, she immersed herself in Seattle's

local arts scene and spent the next 73 years in the audience of theatres large and small. Her passion for the arts led her to donate generously and become involved in fundraising. She was always happy when she was at a live performance. She was also an avid supporter of artists and loved attending and purchasing special creations at art and craft festivals.

The range of Marcella's interests included music old and new from the American Standard Songbook, Broadway musicals, jazz and to anything with a Brazilian beat. A few of her favorite performers were Frank Sinatra, Dave Burbeck, Lady Gaga, and most recently BTS whom she enjoyed for their beat and choreography.

After losing Art to Alzheimer's disease in 1994, she devoted herself to the creation of the Arthur J. and Marcella McCaffray Endowed Professorship Alzheimer's Disease at

the University of Washington. Her contributions have impacted critical research needed to fight this dreadful disease. For over twenty years, she was instrumental in

the Alzheimer's community lending support to families battling this disease.

From her home in Magnolia, she fed her soul with the beautiful views and sunsets of Puget Sound, as well as the birds and water animals it showcased. There Marcella was always entertained by ships of all sizes, crazy paddleboarders and the hard-working tugs passing by.

She was dedicated to the animals of the Cougar Mountain Zoo in Issaquah,

Washington and enjoyed witnessing firsthand the wonders of the natural world through the endangered species that call Cougar Mountain Zoo home -- cougars, tigers, macaws, wallabies, reindeer, wolves and many more.

Marcella is survived by her daughters Carol McCaffray, Marcie McCaffray Rittler, son-in-law Peter Rittler, niece Mia Silverman, nephew Paul Dobrasin and great niece and nephew Arial and Alex Silverman.

In lieu of flowers please send memorial donations to:

Cougar Mountain Zoo

19525 SE 54th Street

Issaquah, WA 98027

www.cougarmountainzoo.org

Arthur J. and Marcella McCaffray Endowed Professorship Alzheimer's Disease

University Medicine

Box 359505

Seattle, WA 98195-0008

For information concerning services: www.bonneywatson.com