Helen Marriott, born Helen Elaine Plut on Sept. 22, 1945 to Dr. Harry Plut and Dorothy Wilkes Plut, passed away on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2020. Helen was born and raised in Port Townsend, Washington. In 1962, she was crowned Queen of Port Townsend’s Rhododendron Festival, and the following year Helen graduated from Port Townsend High School.
After two years at Seattle University, she moved to New York in 1965 to attend The Tobé-Coburn School for Fashion Careers, where she finished her studies and completed a management training internship at Macy’s. Upon her return to Seattle, she embarked on a career in fashion buying and merchandising at such legendary Seattle stores as Klopfenstein’s, I. Magnin and Frederick & Nelson.
In 1969, Helen Plut married David Marriott, and with the birth of their first child in 1973, a family was begun. To her three children, she was a dedicated mother who threw herself into the needs of her children — music lessons, scouting, ballet, soccer — she was always there with her support, love, time and energy. With a keen eye for decorating and a deft hand in the kitchen, she was the epitome of a homemaker for her husband and kids.
Outside of her children, Helen’s passion was cooking and entertaining, regularly coordinating large parties and dinners for friends and family. A life-long gourmet, she helped form a cooking club with three other couples, which met regularly for over 40 years. She later took her cooking talents to the business sector by starting her own catering company, and often donated her talents in the kitchen to charity.
Helen was a staunch supporter of both her communities in Port Townsend and Seattle. In Seattle, she helped raise funds for the Seattle Symphony Orchestra through their showcase homes, and Seattle Children’s Hospital with their yearly Festival of Trees auction. She also served on the board of numerous organizations including Earshot Jazz, and co-founded Friends of Garfield Jazz in 1990 to raise money for Garfield High School’s jazz program. In Port Townsend, she ran the hospital gift shop for the Jefferson County Healthcare Auxiliary, raising thousands of dollars for new equipment. In recognition for her contributions to the Seattle music community, she and her husband were inducted into the Seattle Jazz Hall of Fame in 2019.
She is survived by three children, David, Thomas and Rebecca; daughter-in-law Lisa Chick; three grandchildren, Napoleon, Frances, and Samuel; and three siblings, Tom Plut, Dr. Harry Plut Jr., and Margaret Palo; she was preceded in death by her husband of 49 years, David Marriott. A public celebration of life will take place sometime next year. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to Catholic Community Services of Western Washington in memory of Helen Marriott.
