Marjorie Elliott Bevlin, 92, died on July 6, 2009, in Greeley, Colorado, after a long battle with ovarian cancer. She dearly loved living on Orcas from 1975 until 2007. She moved to Colorado to be near her family, as her health made it less and less possible for her to live alone. She thoroughly enjoyed being near her family, although a part of her heart always remained on Orcas.

Mrs. Bevlin was born on May 9, 1917, in The Dalles, Oregon, while her father, who was a highway engineer for the Oregon State Highway Commission, worked on construction of the Columbia River Highway. She grew up in Portland until her senior year in high school when her father was transferred to Denver with the Bureau of Public Roads.

Mrs. Bevlin received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Colorado after having taken her junior year at the University of Washington. She received her Master of Arts degree from New York University. During World War II, she worked as a draftsman for the naval architecture firm of Gibbs and Cox in New York City. She was one of only 12 women in the firm.

She met her future husband, Ervin W. Bevlin, while teaching high school English in Gypsum, Colorado during the 1940s. In 1949, they moved to La Junta, Colorado, where Mr. Bevlin began teaching at Otero Junior College. In 1955, Mrs. Bevlin founded the art department at Otero and remained as Department Chair for 20 years. During that time, she authored a college design text “Design Through Discovery.” This textbook had six editions and three abridged versions, selling over a half million copies. Her lasting legacy to Otero was her founding of the Arkansas Valley School Arts Festival (now in its 53rd year) for area high school students. Mrs. Bevlin was also a talented painter, with paintings exhibited in the U.S. and Europe. She frequently exhibited paintings on Orcas as well. She also contributed pen and ink drawings to the Island Card Series, published by Darvill’s Rare Print Shop during the early 1980s.

The Bevlins retired to Orcas in 1975. Mr. Bevlin died in April 1976.

In 1984, Mrs. Bevlin married the Reverend Robert Nichols. A retired Episcopal clergyman, Father Nichols served as a substitute minister in various parishes on the islands and the mainland. He died in 2002.

Mrs. Bevlin remained on Orcas until March of 2007. Living in Colorado for the last two years of her life gave her a treasured opportunity to get to know her three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren very well.

She is survived by two daughters, Jennifer Cole and husband Dave of La Salle, Colorado, and Kathleen Cruikshank of Bloomington, Indiana. Two granddaughters, Amy Fulton and husband Santiago and Laura Cole, both of Greeley, Colorado, and a grandson, Colin Cole and wife Brianna, of La Salle, two great granddaughters, Tiffany and Cari Fulton of Greeley, and two great grandsons, Ethan and Patrick Cole, of La Salle, also survive her.

Submitted by Marjorie Bevlin’s family.