With a twinkle in her eye and a penchant for mischief, Jessie Diane (Lucas) Marsh danced her way into the great beyond on April 29, 2024, at the spry age of 79. Born in the sunny state of California on August 23, 1944 to Thelma (Justice) and Albert Lucas, Jessie’s laughter and generosity brightened the lives of all around her, lighting up Sweet Home like a firefly in a mason jar on a warm summer night.

Jessie is leaving behind a legacy of love and laughter, with her brother Dave Lucas and his wife Sandi at the helm. Her daughters, Diane and Lori Marsh, are set to continue her jovial spirit, along with her squad of grandchildren – Codey, Brandon, Natasha, Amanda, Rachael, Rileigh, and Darick – and her battalion of great-grandchildren, who number enough to start their own little league team with Kaylee, Gabriella, Gaige, Madison, MacKenzie, Payton, Austin, Hannah, Jacob, Emmery, Alexis, Bryson and Kallie. Jessie loved Scott, Chrissy and Patty Kleint like her own kids and cherished the moments she had with them. Jessie also had a heap of nieces and nephews, loved them dearly and spoke about them often.

After sashaying out of Central Linn High School in ’62 and waltzing through Oregon State University in ’64, Jessie took a detour into the world of Secretarial Science, where she was the right-hand woman for a professor with a penchant for diet pill invention. But the corporate world couldn’t cage this free bird for long; she found her true calling alongside Daniel G. Marsh, flipping more than just pancakes at their establishment, The Dash In… in Crabtree.

Jessie’s resume also boasts a litany of culinary adventures, from The Villa in Brownsville to Sharis’ in Lebanon, and eventually co-owning Ralph’s Place in Albany, Oregon. Not to mention slinging root beer floats at A&W for over 15 thrilling years.

When she wasn’t whipping up a storm in the kitchen or counting her savings from her latest thrift store conquest, Jessie could be found at the lake, blissfully ignoring the fact that she couldn’t swim, or crafting a new wardrobe for her girls with her sewing wizardry. Her coworkers knew to always watch their backs as Jessie was the queen of pranks.

While we can’t celebrate Jessie’s grand finale just yet, keep your calendars open for a summer shindig in 2025 that promises to be as memorable as Jessie’s own indomitable spirit. If you’re feeling generous, like Jessie always was, donations can be made in her honor to the Wiley Creek Memory Care in Sweet Home, Oregon. Sweet Home Funeral Chapel is orchestrating the behind-the-scenes for this upcoming blockbuster event. www.sweethomefuneral.com

So here’s to Jessie Diane (Lucas) Marsh, who lived her life with the volume turned up to eleven and left us all with memories brighter than her favorite sequined top. Keep an eye on your whoopee cushions, folks, she might be gone, but her prankster’s spirit lives on!