Saint Patrick’s Day has always held a special meaning for my family. Over 130 years ago, my family’s Seattle story began when my great-grandmother, Lizzie Marshall, immigrated to Seattle from Ireland with her mother and two sisters, arriving the day before the Great Seattle Fire in 1889.
The Marshall Sisters – Minnie, Margaret, and Julia’s great grandmother Lizzie, center, in glasses
It’s hard to imagine: a new immigrant arriving after a long journey, finally getting to their new home, only to find the city transformed the next day by smoke and ash. But the Marshall’s are a famously tenacious bunch, and despite their hard beginnings, Lizzie and her family persevered and set down roots – including right here in the 36th LD, on Queen Anne’s Taylor Avenue. So in some ways, living in Queen Anne is a family homecoming for me, a chance to represent one of the first homes my family had in their new country.
As the descendant of immigrants, I think it’s important that Washington State remains as safe and welcoming a home for immigrants today, as it was for my family then. As a legislator, I will fight for funding and programs that support immigrants and refugees, and fund the organizations that support immigrants rights and refugee resettlement.
The Marshall family home, 923 Taylor Avenue in Queen Anne, circa 1901
Lizzie married and had a large family, including my grandfather, George Grant, a proud Irish-American and a major inspiration to me to pursue public service in Washington State. He grew up in the small town of Del Rio, Washington, riding horseback to a one-room schoolhouse. He attended WSU during the Great Depression, and worked in the summer building the Grand Coulee Dam.
My large Irish-American family. Grandpa George, standing, back right, with his brother and sisters. Next to him is my great-aunt Mary Grant O’Neill, who passed away in March 2022 at the age of 100. Lizzie Marshall, seated in the center; the baby on the couch in the center is my mom, Beverly Grant Reed, surrounded by her siblings and cousins
He ultimately established himself as a successful general contractor, but his focus was always putting his prosperity back into his community, especially supporting educational causes. He was a Pasco city councilman, served on the Tri-City Industrial Council, the United Way board, and the Gonzaga University Board of Regents. He was even 1994’s “Tri-Citian of the Year”. And he loved Saint Patrick’s Day.
My mom, Beverly Grant Reed, passed on my grandfather’s love of Ireland to my brother and I. Her home parish was Pasco’s St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, a church that my Grandpa George’s construction firm built. Growing up, Saint Patrick’s Day meant traveling to Pasco for mass and a visit to the church’s annual family fair. Soda bread, corned beef, and family stories were the order of the day.
Me and my mom, Beverly Grant Reed
My mom worked her whole career with kids with special needs. She was an occupational therapist in the Shoreline public school system and a special education administrator in the Edmonds public schools. She taught me that every person’s life has value, that every child deserves a full education, and every education is worth fighting for. She lived that belief in her work and in our home. It’s one of the reasons why, if elected to the legislature, I will be an advocate for fully funding special education, training more special education educators, and expanding special education program offerings.
St. Patrick’s Day for me is a time for celebration and remembrance, to honor those who have gone before and make a better world for those that are still here. I’m proud to join in with all Irish-Americans today to say Éirinn go Brách!
My mom and I both wear claddagh rings, symbols of Irish heritage that represent love, loyalty, and friendship