Marlene Carol Wellbrock

Marlene Carol Wellbrock, 89, of Bainbridge Island, Washington, passed away peacefully on Sunday, January 4, 2026.

Marlene was born on March 2, 1936, in San Francisco, California, the daughter of Martin and Christine Mirkovich, whose families settled on Bainbridge Island after immigrating from Dugi Otok, Croatia. She was the oldest of three children and was raised in the Eagledale neighborhood of the island, where she would spend most of her life.

She graduated from Bainbridge High School in 1954 and was active in school clubs. Devoutly Catholic, she was a lifelong congregant of St. Cecilia’s Catholic Church, where she volunteered regularly. It was there that she met Varian “George” Wellbrock, an Army soldier stationed locally from Victoria, Kansas, whom she later married in 1961. Together, they raised their four children in Eagledale and carried on the family tradition of island life.

Marlene enjoyed being active in the church, volunteering, and watching sports. Her passion was making rosaries, which were eventually shipped all over the world. What she loved most was making those rosaries by the water — whether overlooking Eagle Harbor or from the patio of a family home on Hood Canal. She also cherished family gatherings. Over the years, she worked for Washington Mutual Savings Bank, volunteered at Bainbridge High School, and worked in accounting at Wing Point Country Club. In retirement, she enjoyed traveling to visit friends and attending plays and musicals in downtown Seattle, as well as being a docent at the Bainbridge Island Historical Museum.

Survivors include her four children: Greg (Cathleen) Wellbrock of Bainbridge Island; Joyce Ehrlich of Bluffton, South Carolina; Janice (Adam) Walters of Seattle; and Glen Wellbrock of San Diego, California; grandchildren: Christina Bauer (and husband Brian), Victoria Wellbrock, Steven Wellbrock (and wife Johanna), David Wellbrock, Emily Walters, Jayne Walters, Zach Ehrlich, and Braden Ehrlich; sisters-in-law: Mary Mirkovich and Joan Wellbrock; brothers-in-law: Al Pfeifer and Dale Pfeifer; and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband; her son-in-law: William Ehrlich; her brothers: Arthur Mirkovich and Martin Mirkovich, Jr.; her sisters- in-law: Arlene Pfeifer, Gladys Pfeifer, Rosann Welser, and Brenda Mirkovich; and her brothers-in-law: Eugene Wellbrock and Hal Welser.

Services will be held at St. Cecilia’s Catholic Church on Bainbridge Island on January 22, 2026, beginning with a viewing at 10:00 a.m., followed by a closed-casket rosary at 10:30 a.m., and a funeral Mass at 11:00 a.m. A reception will follow in the church hall. Burial will take place at 12:30pm on January 23, 2026, at Holyrood Cemetery in Shoreline, Washington, where she will be laid to rest next to her husband and near other members of her family.

Arrangements are entrusted to Cook Family Funeral Home of Bainbridge Island, WA