22 July 1921 – 16 October 2017
Kathleen Stauffer
Kathleen Stauffer was born at home on July 22, 1921, at Rolling Bay, Bainbridge Island, WA, the fourth of five children, to Gladys Van Horn Arnold and Claude Arnold.
She spent her childhood on Bainbridge Island until the family moved to Spokane in 1936 where she graduated from Lewis and Clark High School where she first met Bob Stauffer. She excelled in tennis and diving competitions and was a Girl Scout camp counselor during summers on lake Coeur d’Alene. She and Bob graduated from Washington State College in Pullman and married in Seattle in 1945 where daughter Midge was born. In 1951 the family moved to Spokane where sons Rob and Tom were born.
Kathleen was quite literally a home maker, helping build three of the family homes in Spokane with Bob. In 1965 the family moved to Mercer Island, WA where Kathleen started her own pre-school and later worked as the school secretary at Island Park Elementary.
Bob and Kathleen completed their retirement home on Henderson Bay near Gig Harbor, WA and lived there from 1980 until 2003 when they moved to Issaquah. She enjoyed correspondence with relatives, sewing, knitting, gardening, long daily walks, and golf. She and Bob enjoyed travels throughout the U.S., Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, the Caribbean, and the U.K.
Kathleen was predeceased by brothers Stuart, Gordon, Bruce, sister Barbara Kinder, and step-mother Ruth Arnold. She is survived by her husband Bob of Issaquah; step-sister, Karen (Larry) Goeckner; sons, Tom and Rob (Sylvia) Stauffer; grandchildren Richie Stauffer and Phoebe Clark; daughter Midge Williams; grandchildren, Cooper Williams and Sydney (Matt) Murphy; great-grandchildren, Emberly and River Murphy; sister-in-law Sue (Bud) Hunt; cousins and many nephews and nieces.
The family thanks Corina’s Adult Family Home in Issaquah for their excellent care of Kathleen during the past fifteen months.
A memorial will be announced at a later time.