Annamarie Rie McCraith

ANNAMARIE “RIE” McCRAITH We are very sad to have lost, but so thankful to have loved and to have been loved by Annamarie (Rie) McCraith (our Mom), a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother, and very caring and gentle individual. Rie was born May 31, 1924 to Mathew and Katharina (Kate) Thelen in Cologne, Germany where she live until the age of 14. In 1938, just prior to the beginning of World War II, Mathew moved Rie and Kate to the United States. After completing high school in Connecticut, the family moved to Pasadena, CA. There, Rie went on a blind date with a handsome navy man name “Mac” McCraith. They were married in Los Angeles on June 15, 1946 in the Little Country Church of Hollywood. While living in Pasadena, they welcomed the arrival of their first daughter, Carol. Another move brought the young couple to Spokane, WA where they welcomed their second daughter, Laurel Lee (Laurie). Mac and Rie’s passion for square dancing began in Spokane and continued long after their move to Ephrata, WA in 1959. Their square dancing took them on many adventures with Rie as guest caller for their club, The Wheatland Whirlers; and Mac holding many offices at State and Regional levels. Rie was asked to teach a square dance class at Ephrata High School. Their passion for square dancing lasted over 40 years and they made many life-long friends all over the country. In 1952, Mac and Rie bought lake front property north of Spokane on beautiful Davis Lake. Family and friends enjoyed many fun-filled summers swimming, fishing, hiking, boating, and sunbathing at the lake cabin built by Mac and Rie. In 1959, the family moved to Ephrata, WA. During our early years in Ephrata, Mom was a homemaker. She was always there for her girls when we came home from school, often with a batch of freshly baked cookies waiting for us. When Laurie needed braces, Rie went to work for House Laundry in their dry-cleaning department. She later worked at the Barnes Shop and became fast friends with Jeanette (Barnes) Jolley. When the Barnes Shop sold, Mom went to for work for Lindsay Softwater. In 1982, Mac and Rie bought a motorhome and traveled all over the Pacific Northwest, the Southwest and Rie’s personal favorite, Alaska. She loved that trip with Mac and their little dog, Annie. Her many travels are lovingly documented in numerous diaries and photo albums filled with stories and pictures of the places they explored. Rie’s kind heart and generous spirit are well known by all who met her, both human and animal. She loved animals and they loved her. She never said an unkind word about anyone (unless they were unkind to an animal). Throughout her life, she always had dogs, most notably Yang Sue, a huge black Chow Chow, Mr. Dino (shared with Jeanette Barnes), Mickey (saved from a dump site), and Annie (the little Jack Russel terrier-mix that was rescued from the pound). She also shared, with the neighbors, a darling cat named Cuddles (who Rie eventually adopted. Or did Cuddles adopt Rie?). She absolutely adored Cuddles and Cuddles adored her! Mom is survived by her daughters, Carol Gibbins and Laurie King, son-in-law Roger King, twin granddaughters; Tess Lehman, and Stacie Gibbins and her spouse Nathan Blythe, and great grandchildren; Riley and Hunter Lehman and Penelope Blythe; and Cuddles. Our Dad, Mac, predeceased her in 2006. Our heartfelt thanks go to Erika and Terri Ann, Rie’s Assured Hospice nurses; Billie, who 3 days a week helped Rie with showers and dressing changes; Paul, the Hospice Chaplain, who played Rie’s favorite songs on his electronic keyboard while Mom sang along; to Pam, the Hospice volunteer, who sat with Rie making it possible for us to run errands or go for a much-needed walk; and all the other Hospice people, too numerous to mention, who were there supporting us. Thank you all for your tender and loving care of our Mom. A memorial Service for Rie will be held at the Memorial Christian Church, 453 E Division Ave, Ephrata, Wa on Saturday, October 20, 2012 at 2:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to breast cancer research at https://donations.bcrfcure.org/sslpage.aspx?pid=298 or make check payable to: Breast Cancer Campaign’ and send it to: Breast Cancer Campaign Clifton Centre 110 Clifton Street London EC2A 4HT Please express your thoughts and memories for the family and view the online tribute video at nicolesfuneralhome.com. Arrangements are under the direction of Nicoles Funeral Home of Ephrata, WA.

Tributes

Annamarie Rie McCraith

May 31, 1924 - September 28, 2012