Katherine Schwenke

Katherine Ramona Rutherford Schwenke, 88, passed away on Sept 19, 2008, in Lynnwood, Wash.

She was born Jan. 7, 1920, in Boudoin, to Glenn and Charlotte Rutherford.

A survivor of the Great Depression, Katy related many stories about growing up during that era on the family farm on Karrow Avenue in Whitefish.

In the early 1940s, she moved to Seattle and worked in the shipyards. In April 1945, she married Ray Schwenke when he returned from the war,

After raising her family, she became a school bus driver in Edmonds and also pursued her passion for fishing.

Katy was preceded in death by her parents; husband Ray of 49 years; brother Lyle Rutherford, of Whitefish; and daughter-in-law Jackie.

She is survived by sons Cleve and Glenn and their families in Bellingham and Mukilteo; sisters Helen Milton, of San Diego, and Charlotte Sloan, of Marysville, Wash.; and sister-in-law Laura Rutherford, of Whitefish.

A memorial service was held Sept. 25, 2008, in Lynnwood, Wash.