Obituary: Victoria (Tori) Marion
Author: Victoria Marion Family
Obituary: Victoria (Tori) Marion
Victoria Marion Family
Victoria (Tori) Jane Ketchman Marion, 72, born July 25th, 1950, passed away in her home on June 21st, 2023.
Tori was born in Detroit, MI to Rodger and Shirley Ketchman, and was raised in the greater Metro area with her brother Tracy. After graduating high school, she went to art school in Detroit and worked as a telephone switchboard operator. In 1972, she gave birth to her only child, Christopher Rodger Blakley. In 1974, she moved to Big Sky, MT with her son and then-husband, Douglas Blakley. During her early years in Montana, she was an advertising agent and part owner of Old Faithful Times, bartender, sheriff's department dispatcher, and shuttle bus driver at Big Sky before becoming one of the biggest antique dealers in Montana. During her early years as an antique dealer, she was also an advertising agent for KTVH, the NBC affiliate in Helena, MT.
As proprietor of Tori Jane’s Treasures, she started out traveling around the state selling at antique shows when she lived in Phillipsburg, MT. Life eventually took her to Townsend, MT. in 1982, where she lived until 2006. While in Townsend, she had several storefronts around town before moving a single-room schoolhouse from the Old Crow Creek Valley to her home property and turning it into an antique, antique shop. She produced several antique shows around the state, with the Mother’s Day and Cabin Fever shows at the Civic Center in Helena being the most popular. She had several smaller businesses during that time, including Sweet Thing, a candy store, Tori’s Books, specializing in antique pricing books, and Balloon Baby. In 2005, she moved her shop to Last Chance Gulch’s shopping district in Helena, MT. She retired from full-time store management in 2012 and closed down the Helena store, though she continued to sell at antique and gun shows. Her last show was the 40th anniversary of the Cabin Fever show in January 2023.
When her shop was next to American Federal Savings Bank, she hired a local handyman to refinish furniture. Vernon R Marion transitioned from someone who helped improve the quality of her shop’s stock to the love of her life and husband. They spent over 20 happy years together before Vern passed in 2006.
In 1997 she was appointed as a judge to the City Court in Townsend. She served on the bench until 2005 and by far, her favorite duty as a judge was to proceed over 100 marriages to happy couples. After relocating her store to Last Chance Gulch, she sat on the bench in East Helena, Mt. for a few short years and finally a reserve judge for the City of Helena.
In 2011, she met her last love, Mel Blanchard. They lived together until July of last year when he passed away. They spent much of their free time bowling in leagues year-round.
She was survived by her son Christopher Blakley, PsyD, Chicago, IL; her brother Tracy Ketchman, Ann Arbor, MI; niece Yasmina Ketchman, Plano TX.; and nephews Latif Ketchman, Ann Arbor, MI; Said Ketchman, Milltown, NJ; and Hamid Ketchman, Norfolk, VA.
A Funeral Service is scheduled for 11:00 a.m., Thursday, July 6th at Stevenson Wilke Funeral Home, 212 Broadway St. 59644, Townsend. A burial at Deep Creek Cemetery will follow the Funeral Service.
Please visit https://www.stevensonwilke.com to offer your condolences to the family or share a favorite memory of Victoria.
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