Marian Zarley

Davis

Marian Zarley Davis March 28, 1936 – May 8, 2025

Marian was a loving wife, mother, grandmother and friend. Born on March 28, 1936 as the second daughter (middle child) to Brown and Esther Zarley in Berkeley, California.

In 1959, Marian married her high school sweetheart, Gil Davis. Two children followed, Coleen and Michael. Being a wife and mother was natural for Marian. Her immediate family were the lights of her life.

Marian's love for people guided and directed her time and energy from an early age to the end of her life in giving of herself to her community work. Never shy of leadership, Marian was President of the Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority at the University of California Berkeley. While raising her young family, Marian was very

involved in the Junior League of Oakland, reaching out to under privileged families. Later on, she was selected to learn and teach Pilates for the Sports Medicine Institute in California for injured athletes in the community.

Few people are privileged to find a passion they can participate in throughout their lives. For Marian, classical ballet was her great passion, and it was an art form she began with as a young student, studying and performing in California. Her mentors eventually opened her to the world of teaching ballet, a profession she loved and brought to many classrooms for over 40 years. Beginning in Berkeley, continuing with Sacramento Ballet, Contra Costa Ballet (which she helped start), to Orinda Community Center and ending in Brookings, Oregon. In her classes, Marian taught classical ballet in pure form, and passed her love of the art to others with her enthusiasm. Her daughter Coleen, clearly inspired by her Mom, ended up dancing professionally with the Dutch National Ballet for 25 years.

Upon moving to Gold Beach, Marian pursued another interest of hers, antiquities, with the Curry County Museum. Her love of people and their lives, transferred to researching the histories of her new home town for others to remember, and she served on the board of the museum for over twenty years. Marian, Mom, Grammie, will especially be remembered for the love and joy she bestowed on her family and others.

Marian leaves Gil, her husband of 65 years, daughter Coleen (Mark), son Mike (Bernette) and four grandchildren, Alex, Connor, Nicole and Judson.