Marlene Mae Voulelis Mar. 25, 1934 – Jan. 20, 2018


Marlene Mae Voulelis

Marlene Mae Voulelis died peacefully at home on Saturday, Jan. 20, in Boise, Idaho, surrounded by her loving family.  

Marlene was born on March 25, 1934, in Monticello, to George and Augusta Bartlett, the third of three children, preceded in birth by her sisters Georgia and Patricia.  Augusta later married Albert Spooner and had five children, making Marlene the third in a family of eight children.  She grew up in Burlington and graduated from Burlington High School in 1952.

Marlene married James Knapp in Burlington in 1953 and they had a daughter, Pamela.  This marriage ended in 1955, after which Marlene and Pamela moved to Boise, Idaho, to be near her father. She found a lifelong home in Boise. There she met and fell in love with James (Jim) Voulelis while she was working at C.C. Anderson during the Christmas season.  They married in 1959 and had a daughter, Frances.  Jim, while serving in the U.S. Army, was called to serve in Vietnam.  After suffering an injury there, he was moved to Walter Reed Army Hospital in Virginia to recuperate.  Marlene, Pamela and Frances then moved to Silver Springs, Maryland, to live with Jim’s parents and be near him. It was at this time that Marlene learned about the Greek culture and heritage as Jim’s family had immigrated from Mytilini, Greece, in the early 1920’s.  There she learned to prepare authentic Greek cuisine and became a superb Greek cook.  In 1962, upon Jim’s retirement from the Army, the family moved back to Boise, where soon after they had a son, Louis (Jim). Marlene and Jim moved to west Boise in 1969 to continue the journey of raising their family.  She was a busy working mother and despite the demands of her career, always put her family first.  She modeled the traits we all value in a mother: Love, empathy, understanding and always a willing listener.  She was not hesitant to give advice or her opinion, even when her children didn’t want to hear it.  Many lessons were learned in the back seat of the station wagon on the frequent summer treks to the Midwest to see family. Many problems solved and laughs had drinking coffee (or Old Style) around the kitchen table in Iowa.  Many wonderful moments shared frosting Christmas cookies with children, spouses, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

    Her house became the safe haven for her family. All were welcome and could expect warm love, generosity, thoughtful advice and a shoulder or hug when needed.  Marlene became the center of our large, extended family and her attention to her roots and value in family was her greatest legacy.

Marlene was a member of the Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church and enjoyed a number of years in the Boise Greek community, belonging to the Daughters of Penelope Auxiliary to AHEPA.  Marlene became a member of the Greek Dancing troop, which performed in the community, and helped in the planning and cooking for many of the early Greek Glendi’s and Greek Food Festivals.

    Marlene began her professional career in 1958 working as a clerk for the State of Idaho, Department of Transportation. She continued working for the State in various positions until her retirement.  Early in her career she recognized an opportunity to get in on the ground floor of the exploding computer and information technology revolution.  She was one of only 15 initial applicants accepted into a state sponsored computer/data processing training program.  With only a high school diploma and a handful of technical training classes, Marlene began her career as a computer programmer in 1968.  She demonstrated remarkable aptitude in her new profession and with continued education and experience, advanced to positions of ever increasing complexity, responsibility and seniority over the ensuing 25 years. In 1981 Marlene accepted the position of Director of Administrative Data Processing for Boise State University.  Her work included management of the programming staff and numerous projects for many University departments.  Part of that work included developing and implementing programs to modernize BSU’s Student and Financial Information Systems.  Marlene retried in 1993 after twelve years with Boise State and nearly 35 years of service to the State of Idaho.  Following her departure, Marlene was awarded Emeritus status by the University; an honor typically reserved for academic faculty and one rarely bestowed on Administrative staff.

    Marlene was an early pioneer in Boise’s data processing community, particularly so since she was a female working in a field occupied almost exclusively by men.  In her work life, Marlene is remembered as an individual with a great sense of humor, confidence, grace and wit.  She had a strong commitment to her profession and the University community being involved for many years in professional organizations including as a board member and President for the Association for Systems Management (ASM) and board member and Corresponding Secretary for the Women of Boise State University.  In addition, she spent countless hours in fundraising endeavors for the University Scholarship Fund.

In retirement, she enjoyed traveling extensively in the U.S. and to various countries including Greece, Italy, France, Spain, Morocco, and England, with her sister Patricia and friends Maxine and Bernice.  She undertook numerous trips to spend time with her siblings and their families.  She was always there to help in times of illness or need and rarely missed any family members milestone life events.  Marlene never met a stranger.  She was genuinely interested in getting to know everyone she met and was a gracious hostess to anyone who walked through her front door. She loved hosting dinners and parties for her family and friends and welcomed old friends and newcomers alike with open arms.  Her Christmas Eve parties were legendary.  Her gatherings were full of laughter, discussion, friendship and love.

Marlene dearly loved her two dogs, Ponce and Padre, who had the good fortune of being Marlene’s companions in her later years. It was said those two Bichon Frise lived better lives than most human beings.

Marlene is survived by her daughter Pamela McGourty (Patrick) of Boise; daughter Frances Voulelis of Boise; son Louis (Jim) Voulelis (Jole) of Boise; brother Dudley Spooner, sister-in-law Gaynell Spooner, Tennessee; sister Jackie Kudzinowski and brother-in-law Stanley Kudzinowski, Indiana; sister Judy Fullerton, brother-in-law Tom Fullerton, Iowa; sister Susan Higginbotham, brother-in-law Carl Higginbotham, Texas; grandchildren Brian, Matthew, Samantha, Nicholas, Maxwell; and great grandchildren Carson, Madison, John Patrick; and numerous nieces and nephews.  She was preceded in death by her parents; husband James Voulelis, brother Clifford Spooner, sister Georgia Richardson and sister Patricia Boyd.

Services, under the direction of Alden Waggoner Funeral Chapel and officiated by Chaplain Vicki McGourty will be Thursday, Feb. 8, 1:00 p.m., at Alden Waggoner Funeral Chapel, Boise, followed by burial service at Dry Creek Cemetery.  A celebration of Marlene’s life will be held immediately following the burial at the home of Matt and Michelle Soderlund, Boise.

The family requests any donations in honor of Marlene be made to City Light, P.O. Box 1494, Boise, Idaho, 83701.

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