Once you request the services of Marlatt Funeral Home, we will immediately put our experienced funeral professionals to work for you. A single, dedicated individual will stay in contact with you every step of the way and guide you through the decision-making process. He or she will carefully explain your options, make recommendations at your request, take care of all the small details, and ensure that you and your family’s personal touch is always present.


Marlatt Funeral Home is family owned and operated and was founded in 1957 by Dean and Nell Marlatt. Their son Kim, his wife Cindy, and son Karl now carry on the family tradition of compassion and service. All faiths and cultures are welcomed and accommodated.

Marlatt Funeral Home & Crematory

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Kim Marlatt kimmarlatt@marlatt.com

Kim is the oldest son of the funeral home’s founders, Nell & Dean Marlatt. Growing up in Kent, he helped out at the funeral home, the Marlatt Ambulance Service, and Pet Haven- the family’s pet cemetery on Kent’s West Hill.

 

As a young adult, he attended college at Big Bend in Moses Lake, studying aviation. After the death of his father in 1980 he came back to the funeral home to help his mother run the business; which he and his wife Cindy purchased in 1989. He earned his funeral service degree in 1990 at the San Francisco College of Mortuary Science. 

 

Kim grew up working side by side with his parents and witnessed the pain of those who were mourning a loss.  Because of this, Kim developed a deep compassion and love of people, as well as a genuine ability to serve others.  He takes great care in educating the next generation of funeral directors in order to help them develop the dedication, professionalism and compassion needed to help the families they have the honor to serve.

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Karl Marlatt Funeral Director & Embalmer karl@marlatt.com

Karl is the son of Kim and Cindy Marlatt and is proud to be a 3rd generation funeral director.  Karl grew up helping his parents at the funeral home and officially began working for the funeral home in 2006. In 2013 Karl graduated from Lake Washington Institute of Technology with a degree in Funeral Service.

 

Karl is honored to be able to follow in his parent’s footsteps and in the legacy of compassion and service they have created.  He takes a great deal of care helping the families he is able to serve.  He genuinely feels that being a funeral director is his calling in life and appreciates the opportunities he’s given to help those who have lost a loved one and being able to guide them through one of the most difficult times of their lives.

 

Karl is married to Mary, who is the Pre-Planning Advisor at Marlatt Funeral Home.  They started dating in high school and married in 2007.  They have two young sons together and enjoy getting to spend time with them looking for treasures at the local beaches and exploring new parks and trails.

 

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Mary Marlatt Funeral Pre-Planning Specialist mary@marlatt.com

Mary is the wife of Karl and joined the family business in 2017 as their Pre-Planning Advisor.  Prior to working at the funeral home, Mary worked for over 13 years in finance and human resources for a large not-for-profit healthcare organization. 

 

Mary grew up in the Kent area. She completed college at Central Washington University and received her Bachelors of Science in Business Management with an emphasis in Accounting and Supply Chain Management.

 

Mary has always had a passion for helping those in need.  She's had the opportunity to run numerous charity drives geared towards helping those who needed it the most in our community.  Her dedication to helping others made her transition to the funeral profession seamless. 

 

One of the most enjoyable parts of Mary’s role as a Pre-Planning Specialist at Marlatt’s is having the opportunity to sit down with individuals and listen to their life stories.  She is able to help them plan themselves a good good-bye and give them the peace of mind that they will be taken care of when they pass and their loved ones will have minimal decisions to make on their behalf. 

 

When not working, Mary enjoys going on adventures with Karl and their two sons, DIY projects and baking.    

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Kim G. Brown Funeral Director & Embalmer kimbrown@marlatt.com

Kim began his career in 1972 working as a groundskeeper at the Forestvale Cemetery Association in Helena, MT.  He attended the University of Montana and later relocated to San Francisco to attend the San Francisco College of Mortuary Science.

 

While living in San Francisco, her owned a trade business where he worked for 9 local funeral homes and also worked for 10 years at the Sinai Memorial Chapel of San Francisco. In 1992 he relocated to Spokane, WA and worked as a Funeral Director/Embalmer for Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home. In 2001 he relocated to Kent, WA where he worked as lead Funeral Director and Embalmer for Bonney-Watson Memorial Corp. for 14 years.  In 2015 he joined the Marlatt team as a Funeral Director/Embalmer and Pre-Planning Specialist. 

 

Kim loves to talk with people and hear their life stories.  He also loves making a positive influence in his community and has been a member of the Kiwanis Club of Kent for numerous years.

 

Kim enjoys everything music and has played in numerous jazz bands.  When not playing music, he spends his time with his beloved dogs and friends.

 

 

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Laura Bonawitz Funeral Director & Embalmer Laura@Marlatt.com

Laura got her start in the funeral industry when she was still a teenager. Her first job was answering phones on the weekends for a funeral home, while she attended Mortuary School in Portland, Oregon. Laura is now a Certified Crematory Operator, Licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer. She brings over 13 years of experience helping plan and arrange funeral services.

 

She is the past president of King, Pierce, and Kitsap County Funeral Directors Association. In her time away from work, she holds membership with The Polish Home Association, volunteers at her son’s special needs school, and loves hiking, camping, and gardening year-round.

 

Laura lives in Renton with her husband, their son, 2 dogs, and 5 chickens. She’s currently working on a home remodel project.

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Melissa Curtis Funeral Director & Intern Embalmer melissa@marlatt.com

Melissa enrolled in Mortuary school shortly after finishing her degree in Culinary Arts after graduating from High School a year and a half early. She is a Licensed Funeral Director, Embalmer Intern, and Certified Crematory Operator.

 

 Melissa started at the Marlatt Funeral Home in 2019. She is a very compassionate, driven and dedicated individual who is honored to serve families within her community. In her free time, she enjoys weightlifting, hiking, gardening, spending time with her fur babies and various other hobbies.

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Kelly Sanders Funeral Director & Embalmer kelly@marlatt.com

Kelly grew up watching his uncle work in the funeral industry and was interested in a career in the field from a young age. He earned a degree in Funeral Service Education from Mount Hood Community College and has since worked in the field for almost 30 years. He feels it is an honor to be able to serve others at one of the most difficult times of their lives.  

 

Kelly's favorite activity is spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren. He also loves to cook and fish. 

 

Marlatt's was fortunate to add Kelly to the team in 2020.  He is a master of his trade and takes immense care of the families he serves.

Kim Marlatt

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Kim is the oldest son of the funeral home’s founders, Nell & Dean Marlatt. Growing up in Kent, he helped out at the funeral home, the Marlatt Ambulance Service, and Pet Haven- the family’s pet cemetery on Kent’s West Hill.

 

As a young adult, he attended college at Big Bend in Moses Lake, studying aviation. After the death of his father in 1980 he came back to the funeral home to help his mother run the business; which he and his wife Cindy purchased in 1989. He earned his funeral service degree in 1990 at the San Francisco College of Mortuary Science. 

 

Kim grew up working side by side with his parents and witnessed the pain of those who were mourning a loss.  Because of this, Kim developed a deep compassion and love of people, as well as a genuine ability to serve others.  He takes great care in educating the next generation of funeral directors in order to help them develop the dedication, professionalism and compassion needed to help the families they have the honor to serve.

Karl Marlatt

Funeral Director & Embalmer
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Karl is the son of Kim and Cindy Marlatt and is proud to be a 3rd generation funeral director.  Karl grew up helping his parents at the funeral home and officially began working for the funeral home in 2006. In 2013 Karl graduated from Lake Washington Institute of Technology with a degree in Funeral Service.

 

Karl is honored to be able to follow in his parent’s footsteps and in the legacy of compassion and service they have created.  He takes a great deal of care helping the families he is able to serve.  He genuinely feels that being a funeral director is his calling in life and appreciates the opportunities he’s given to help those who have lost a loved one and being able to guide them through one of the most difficult times of their lives.

 

Karl is married to Mary, who is the Pre-Planning Advisor at Marlatt Funeral Home.  They started dating in high school and married in 2007.  They have two young sons together and enjoy getting to spend time with them looking for treasures at the local beaches and exploring new parks and trails.

 

Mary Marlatt

Funeral Pre-Planning Specialist
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Mary is the wife of Karl and joined the family business in 2017 as their Pre-Planning Advisor.  Prior to working at the funeral home, Mary worked for over 13 years in finance and human resources for a large not-for-profit healthcare organization. 

 

Mary grew up in the Kent area. She completed college at Central Washington University and received her Bachelors of Science in Business Management with an emphasis in Accounting and Supply Chain Management.

 

Mary has always had a passion for helping those in need.  She's had the opportunity to run numerous charity drives geared towards helping those who needed it the most in our community.  Her dedication to helping others made her transition to the funeral profession seamless. 

 

One of the most enjoyable parts of Mary’s role as a Pre-Planning Specialist at Marlatt’s is having the opportunity to sit down with individuals and listen to their life stories.  She is able to help them plan themselves a good good-bye and give them the peace of mind that they will be taken care of when they pass and their loved ones will have minimal decisions to make on their behalf. 

 

When not working, Mary enjoys going on adventures with Karl and their two sons, DIY projects and baking.    

Kim G. Brown

Funeral Director & Embalmer
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Kim began his career in 1972 working as a groundskeeper at the Forestvale Cemetery Association in Helena, MT.  He attended the University of Montana and later relocated to San Francisco to attend the San Francisco College of Mortuary Science.

 

While living in San Francisco, her owned a trade business where he worked for 9 local funeral homes and also worked for 10 years at the Sinai Memorial Chapel of San Francisco. In 1992 he relocated to Spokane, WA and worked as a Funeral Director/Embalmer for Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home. In 2001 he relocated to Kent, WA where he worked as lead Funeral Director and Embalmer for Bonney-Watson Memorial Corp. for 14 years.  In 2015 he joined the Marlatt team as a Funeral Director/Embalmer and Pre-Planning Specialist. 

 

Kim loves to talk with people and hear their life stories.  He also loves making a positive influence in his community and has been a member of the Kiwanis Club of Kent for numerous years.

 

Kim enjoys everything music and has played in numerous jazz bands.  When not playing music, he spends his time with his beloved dogs and friends.

 

 

Laura Bonawitz

Funeral Director & Embalmer
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Laura got her start in the funeral industry when she was still a teenager. Her first job was answering phones on the weekends for a funeral home, while she attended Mortuary School in Portland, Oregon. Laura is now a Certified Crematory Operator, Licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer. She brings over 13 years of experience helping plan and arrange funeral services.

 

She is the past president of King, Pierce, and Kitsap County Funeral Directors Association. In her time away from work, she holds membership with The Polish Home Association, volunteers at her son’s special needs school, and loves hiking, camping, and gardening year-round.

 

Laura lives in Renton with her husband, their son, 2 dogs, and 5 chickens. She’s currently working on a home remodel project.

Melissa Curtis

Funeral Director & Intern Embalmer
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Melissa enrolled in Mortuary school shortly after finishing her degree in Culinary Arts after graduating from High School a year and a half early. She is a Licensed Funeral Director, Embalmer Intern, and Certified Crematory Operator.

 

 Melissa started at the Marlatt Funeral Home in 2019. She is a very compassionate, driven and dedicated individual who is honored to serve families within her community. In her free time, she enjoys weightlifting, hiking, gardening, spending time with her fur babies and various other hobbies.

Kelly Sanders

Funeral Director & Embalmer
photo

Kelly grew up watching his uncle work in the funeral industry and was interested in a career in the field from a young age. He earned a degree in Funeral Service Education from Mount Hood Community College and has since worked in the field for almost 30 years. He feels it is an honor to be able to serve others at one of the most difficult times of their lives.  

 

Kelly's favorite activity is spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren. He also loves to cook and fish. 

 

Marlatt's was fortunate to add Kelly to the team in 2020.  He is a master of his trade and takes immense care of the families he serves.