Winifred Josephine Wiatrak

Winifred Wiatrak, a consummate professional, friend to many, and successful woman passed away on June 9, 2025. Winnie was the daughter of Joe and Betty Wiatrak. She was born in Seattle and grew up on Capitol Hill.

In 1950, she and her parents moved to Yakima where her father and his brother opened up the first self-service meat market. As a teen, Winnie excelled at tennis in Yakima and at the state level.

Winnie returned to Seattle in 1956, where she attended and graduated cum laude from Seattle University. She then moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where she received her Masters Degree in Social Work from St. Louis University. In 1963, she returned to Seattle and began working for the Washington State Welfare Department, which in 1970 became the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS). During her career, she managed several challenging positions within the agency. Among them was a position serving as the DSHS Southwest Regional Administrator. She also served as the Region 4 (Seattle) Director of the Division of Children and Family Services. She retired from the agency in 1995.

Winnie loved her retirement years. She traveled extensively in both the U.S. and internationally. Some of her favorite trips were month long adventures with friends to Australia, New Zealand, Spain, and Portugal, and shorter trips to Poland and Ireland. Winnie also enjoyed volunteering, gardening, and line dancing.

In her later years, cancer intruded into her life. She fought hard, but the cancer eventually overcame her.

Winnie will be greatly missed by her many friends, neighbors, and work associates. She was immensely grateful for their love, support, kindness, homemade food deliveries, and flowers, especially during the final months of her life.