Barbara Kay Wickwire
October 2, 1934 – December 20, 2021
Barbara Kay Wickwire, 87, (“Kay” or “Katie” to her friends and family) died at home December 20, 2021 of natural causes.
Born October 2, 1934 in Seattle, to Anna and Carl Larum, Kay spent her first four years in Enumclaw, WA. She recalled happy memories of her early school days and outdoor play in Skykomish, Sultan and Goldbar, WA where her father worked for the Washington State Highway Department. When she was nine, she and her parents returned to Enumclaw where she made lifelong friends. They lived in the home her ma- ternal grandfather had built in early 1900s.
Kay graduated from Enumclaw High School class of 1952. Kay loved to sing and was recognized for her beautiful soprano voice. She was a member of her high school choir and choral group.
She continued her music studies as a freshman at Central Washington College in Ellensburg, WA, where she was invited to join the jazz quartet and was a member of the esteemed Central Singers choir under the direction of Wayne Hertz. Also, she was privileged to perform at many weddings.
She met her future husband Don, also an Enumclaw High School graduate, at the popular Spanish Castle dance hall (on Pacific Highway South at Midway in Des Moines, WA). They married in 1955 and first lived in Enumclaw. In 1959, they moved to Auburn, WA where they bought their first and only home and raised three girls.
Kay was an avid, lifelong reader. She excelled at word search puzzles with speed and accuracy. Her easy manner, quick wit and laughter made it easy for her to make friends wherever she went. After retirement, two of her favorite social activities for many years were her monthly group lunches with high school friends (Just Us Gals – JUGS) or her former Sears catalog store colleagues (Stitch ‘n Bitch).
In retirement they achieved their dreams of travel in the U.S. and internationally. They visited friends and explored California, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Nebraska, Oregon, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Vermont and British Columbia, Canada. They enjoyed cruising to Alaska, through the Panama Canal to Costa Rica, and to eight ports of call around the Mediterranean where Don had served in the U.S. Navy.
Her great grandparents John and Nancy Thomas were early Seattle pioneers and contemporaries of the Denny family. She was proud of her Pacific Northwest roots and Scandinavian heritage. She was a cherished daughter, wife, mother, aunt, neighbor and friend. Preceded in death by Donald Dean Wickwire her loving husband of 59 years, she is survived by her three daughters, Sherry Wickwire, Julie Wickwire, and Lisa Wickwire.
Kay volunteered at the Auburn Food Bank for several years. She believed no one should go hungry. Donations in her memory may be made to the Auburn Food Bank, Auburn, WA or your local food bank. A Celebration of Life event will be announced this Spring.
