Remembering Mary Clare “Molly” Conley (1998-2013)
June 6, 2013
Molly Conley (Photo Courtesy: Elizabeth Swisher)
The Washington state lacrosse community is deeply saddened with the loss of Bishop Blanchet High School freshman and Roosevelt lacrosse player Molly Conley.
Having just turned 15, Conley was the victim of a random drive-by shooting on Saturday night while walking with friends during a birthday celebration in Lake Stevens, a rural community about a 45-minute drive northeast of her family’s home in Seattle’s Magnolia neighborhood.
Born Mary Clare Conley on May 31, 1998 in Seattle, Conley will be remembered both for her engaging smile and fun-loving spirit, but also as a highly intelligent, athletic and witty person with a positive influence on all those who knew her said Roosevelt lacrosse coach Vinca Swanson.
“She took all of the good things that she had in her life and made them work for her and others. Her intelligence just came shining through,” Swanson said.
Conley, who played all 12 games with the Roosevelt lacrosse team this spring and who was also a rising star in goal on the Blanchet soccer team, had a uniquely strong sense of the value of family and friends, Swanson said. “It gave her the ability to open-up and learn. She just did well at everything.”
A lacrosse player since age nine, Conley began playing the sport with the local boys team, Magnolia United.
Only last year did Conley, nicknamed by her teammates “4.0” for her straight “A” academics and All-American personality, make the switch to play with the girls for the local Roosevelt High School club seeing time with both the JV and varsity squads – a rarity for high school freshmen in lacrosse.
Molly Conley (third from left in white shirt) together with Roosevelt lacrosse teammates during the 2013 girls high school season. (Photo Courtesy: Elizabeth Swisher)
“There are students that have had a lot of personality and (athletic) talent. And players strong in academics but not necessarily (lacrosse) skill,” said Swanson, who has coached the Roughriders for the past six seasons. “But I’ve never coached a player so complete and so whole as Molly.”
For Swanson, it was Molly’s ability to focus on the lacrosse field but keep everyone laughing at the same time that was so enjoyable.
“She loved drama and she loved taking it to the field,” said Swanson, recalling this spring’s Roughriders JV lacrosse game with Wenatchee.
With Roosevelt leading 6-5 and under a minute to go in the game, Roughriders JV coach Hanna Landherr instructed Conley to take the ball and run-out the clock.
Instead of simply running away from the Wenatchee players to secure the win, Conley dashed some 50 yards from the crease to the player’s bench on the other side of the field — stick in one hand and gesturing to her coach with the other.
“One minute?”, Conley said, holding up one finger. “I got this,” she told her coach and continued to out-run the double team placed on her by the other team until the whistle blew.
It was that can-do attitude that drove Conley in and out of the classroom and in every aspect of her life.
Just recently she started a humanitarian group “Mother’s Helper” to raise funds to aid victims of domestic abuse. She also encouraged her family care for infants waiting to be placed with foster families.
Molly Conley (center) during a recent Roosevelt High School girls lacrosse game (Photo Courtesy: Elizabeth Swisher)
Before enrolling at Blanchet, Conley attended elementary school at Our Lady of Fatima in Magnolia. She was also actively involved in traditional Irish Step Dance with Seattle’s Tara Academy.
“I’m sure at just 15, she wanted to save the world,” Swanson said. “She would do anything to make the world better a better place.”
Conley is survived by her mother Susan Arksey, stepfather Matthew Arksey and father John Conley all of Seattle, along with two older siblings, a brother, Johnny, who is a sophomore at Blanchet and sister, Tara, a senior at The Center School.
Together with the Conley and Arksey families, Bishop Blanchet High School will host a Funeral Mass this Saturday, June 8 at 1 p.m. The service will take place in the Main Gym and all attending are highly encouraged to carpool. Blanchet is located at 8200 Wallingford Ave. North, Seattle, WA 98103.
Remembrances can be made in lieu of flowers to the following organizations;
Molly Conley Memorial for Lacrosse
Secure online gifts may be made to the Molly Conley Memorial through the Washington State Chapter of US Lacrosse at the following link or by mailing a check for the Molly Conley Memorial to US Lacrosse Washington State, 8213 Overlake Dr. W., Medina, WA 98039.
Mary’s Place/Molly’s Mother’s Helper Fund
PO Box 1711
Seattle, WA 98111-1711
http://marysplaceseattle.org/support-us
VSS (Victim Support Services)
Victim Support Services
PO Box 1949, Everett, WA 98206
https://app.etapestry.com/onlineforms/FamiliesFriendsCopy/VSS.html
About High School Lacrosse in Washington State
Lacrosse is the fastest growing sport in the US and in Washington state has experienced double-digit annual growth throughout the past decade. In its fourth decade of play, 4,000 student athletes attending over 200 schools across the state play high school lacrosse. Governed by the Washington High School Boys Lacrosse Association and the Washington Schoolgirls Lacrosse Association, the sport is played during the spring season and capped by annual boys and girls state championships in late May. To learn more about lacrosse in Washington or to receive daily high school results visit www.WashingtonHSLAX.com or follow us at www.Facebook.com/uslacrossewashington or Twitter @WashingtonHSLAX. To learn more about the history, traditions and values of lacrosse, college opportunities available to students and the 21 US states now sanctioning high school lacrosse visit USLacrosse.org.
~ Mike McQuaid, Sports Information Director, US Lacrosse – Washington State Chapter
