Margaret Irene Solan Margaret Irene Solan, 95, passed away with family by her side on April 22, 2017 at St. Peter Hospital in Olympia. She was a remarkable mother and grandmother who lived a full and vibrant life. Margaret was born on August 14, 1921 in Spokane to Daniel and Adaline Close, who raised a tight knit Irish Catholic family of eight children. Growing up during the Great Depression, she learned to look out for those who were struggling and appreciate all that she had; Margaret carried these values with her throughout her long life. She graduated from St. Augustine Grade School and Lewis and Clark High School in Spokane. As a young woman, she had a career in banking and worked in Seattle and Alaska before returning to Spokane. On May 6, 1950, she married James (Jim) Joseph Solan in Spokane. After living in Seattle and Olympia, they moved to Aberdeen in 1953 where they raised six children. The Solan home was a warm, lively place, and Margaret set the tone as its demanding but fun loving and outgoing matriarch. She enjoyed the company of her family and friends, and they loved being around Margaret. In Aberdeen, she was a member of the Elks, the Young Mothers group, St. Aurilla guild, and St. Mary parish school board. She also enjoyed a good competition, whether golfing with friends or racing to reach her razor clam limit at Ocean Shores. Faith was a guiding force in her life. She was a parishioner at St. Mary Catholic Church in Aberdeen and taught the importance of Mass and prayer by example. She also valued education and took pride in traveling the country to attend the graduations of her children and grandchildren. In her later years, she became a proud grandmother. She enjoyed summers at the family cabin on Hood Canal and belonged to multiple bridge groups in Aberdeen. She remained connected to the Close family, and cherished reunions in Idaho with her brothers and sisters and their families. Several years after Jim passed away, she moved to Bonaventure in Lacey where she lived independently, attending daily exercise class and swimming into her final year of life. Before others made it famous, Margaret's favorite motto was "Just do it!", which she not only preached but lived. Margaret is survived by her children Sally (Mike) Barnes of Olympia, her daughter-in-law Linda Solan of Spokane, Peggy Solan and Bill (Janet) Solan of Seattle, and Michael (Deanne) Solan and Steve (Susan) Solan of Aberdeen, her grandchildren Michael, James (Dana), Maria, Amy (Jake) Parks, Kevin, John, Ryan, Joseph, and Brooke, and her great grandchild James. She was preceded in death by her husband, all of her siblings, and her eldest son, James Thomas. A funeral Mass to celebrate Margaret's life will be held at St. Mary Catholic Church in Aberdeen at 11:00 on May 17th, which will be preceded by a rosary vigil at Fern Hill funeral home at 6:00 on May 16th. The family requests that any remembrances be made to St. Mary Parish School. A longer version of this obituary was published in The Daily World of Grays Harbor.