Mary Metha Zirkle Obituary (2025)

Mary Metha (Casper) Zirkle passed away at Memorial Hospital on September 16, 2025, in the presence of her son, her two grandchildren and her husband of over 60 years. The daughter of Leo Casper and Elmira Might Casper, Mary was born July 6, 1945, in Everett, Washington. When she was an infant, the family moved to Union Gap where she attended Union Gap Elementary. The family then moved to Yakima where she attended Franklin Junior High and Eisenhower High School. Before her junior year in high school, the family moved to a small farm near Weikel. She entered Highland High School where she met Ron Zirkle. After four years of dating, they married in 1965 and started a lifelong journey together. Mary loved to travel. Their travels took them to all 50 states and 10 foreign countries, but their homes were always in Eastern Washington. In 1974, they bought a dilapidated old farm on Naches Heights and made it into a beautiful home, mostly due to Mary's love of gardening and her dedication to her family. She worked outside the home in clerical positions in the sheriff's office, the Selah School, the state department of corrections and the state attorney general's office, but her greatest love was her family - her children, her husband, her sister and brothers and nephews and nieces. More than anything else in life she wanted to be a mother and a grandmother. The brightest lights in her life were her son, her daughter, her grandson and her granddaughter. She would say her best days were when she opened her home to family and friends for barbecues, lunches on the patio, or just casual conversations or playing board games. Everyone was always welcome. She was preceded in death by her parents, her brothers Joseph and Michael Casper, and her daughter Metha Zirkle. She is survived by her husband Ronald Zirkle of Yakima, her son Erik Zirkle, grandson Alex Zirkle and granddaughter Jessica Cobb, all of Mooresville, North Carolina, her sister Barbara Marquardt of Yakima, her brother Lyle Casper of Tucson, Arizona, and nieces and nephews whom she loved dearly. In accordance with Mary's wishes, no funeral or formal memorial is planned. If her friends and family think of her often, every thought will be a celebration of her life. In lieu of flowers, please make a contribution in her name to her daughter's favorite charity, the World Wildlife Fund. Shaw & Sons Funeral Home is caring for the family. Memories and condolences may be shared at shawandson.com