Obituary of Katherine Mabel Junkin

Our beloved mother, grandmother, great- and great-great grandmother, and sister went to heaven on August 17, 2012. Mom was born on July 4, 1923 to Walter and S. Geneva Lyon in Sayville, Long Island, NY. She married Charles "Art" Schultz in 1946 and had three children: Brenda, Janet and Kurt. At the age of 30, she developed rheumatoid arthritis which was a source of pain from that point on. She rarely complained and managed to live every day to the fullest. In 1957 the family moved to Anaheim, California to raise their children. Mom worked as a legal secretary and dad had a long career at Hughes Aircraft. In the early 1970's Dad bought a motorcycle and Mom just loved riding along on the back. They joined the Retreads motorcycle group and took many trips throughout the country. In 1984 Mom and Dad moved to Federal Way, Washington, to be near Janet and Kurt who were just starting their families. Art became ill with cancer and passed away in 1989. Mom worked at Weyerhaeuser as a secretary for about 3 years before retiring. In 1993, Kurt gave Mom a modem and installed America On-Line which began her involvement in SeniorNet, a social networking site. It was through a SeniorNet chatroom that Mom met Ted Junkin, a retired surgeon from Calgary, and their romance took off. He proposed to her and they married in 1994. Ted moved to Federal Way and became a U.S. citizen. They had a terrific 14-year marriage in which they traveled to many places in the U.S. and Canada. Mom and Ted moved into Village Green, a retirement campus, and enjoyed two years until Ted's death in 2009. Mom had a major heart attack in 2010 which required a stent and Pacemaker. She continued to enjoy life at Village Green but missed Ted immensely. We were hoping she would make it to 100, but that wasn't God's plan. She always told us that whenever she was called to heaven, she had a wonderful life with two great men and two great marriages. She also told us she was very proud of her family and loved being together with us whatever the occasion. We all feel so blessed to have had her in our lives. She enriched us with her wisdom and guidance; she made us laugh; brightened our days with her warm smile; made everyone feel important and cared about; she gave generously. She was truly an amazing woman who was much loved by family and friends. She will always be missed but always be in our hearts. She is survived by her 3 children: Brenda Valenzuela, Janet Fravel and Kurt Schultz; grandchildren: Valerie, Sharon, Jim, Amy, Andy, Phil, Shelley, Polly, Heather and Dustin; and many great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren.