Cory Wilhelm Kercher

When Cory Wilhelm Kercher walked into the room, those in his company felt energy, an enthusiastic spontaneity. This was just one example of who Cory was and how he impacted those around him. Cory was a clever and gregarious person who always sought out the finest attributes in other people. It was as if Cory wanted to share all of their experiences, revel in their lives and celebrate their discoveries. Cory was tireless and had boundless enthusiasm that would serve him well throughout his life.

Cory was born on July 23, 1977 at University of Washington Hospital in Seattle, Washington. He was the son of James Kercher and Rita Copeland. Cory was raised in Seattle and Tukwila, Washington. Always ready with a good joke, he grew up to be quite a humorous person. While some who knew Cory might describe him as an idealist, his friends and family understood well that Cory was always in pursuit of life’s endless possibilities and opportunities available to him.

Cory was raised with four siblings. He had one older sister, Amy, and two younger sisters, Cassandra and Briana, and one younger brother, Jacob. Cory was very accepting and supportive of his family. He was perceived as the central person in his family in terms of keeping communication open between the family members. Whenever discord or tension arose within the home, Cory was typically the member who brought about resolution and harmony. These traits served Cory well in his adult life and, along with his wit, outgoing personality, and understanding of others, drew the admiration of many who knew him.

As a young boy, Cory was able to empathize and identify with a vast array of people and personality types. This quality drew him into a diverse group of friends and acquaintances. Cory was intelligent and had little trouble getting along with his peers. He was almost always the first to jump in when it came to playing games or participating in other childhood activities. He was a Cub Scouts and Royal Ranger. In his spare time he liked baseball cards, skateboarding, riding his bike, matchbox cars, legos, trains, and video games. Cory had the ability to find amusement with almost any activity he and the many childhood friends he shared might discover.

During his high school years, Cory responded enthusiastically to any new project and was regularly in search of one adventure after another. Cory was a very good student, and generally did well in his courses. Cory absorbed as much as he could from all of his teachers and was consistently able to tackle conceptual and abstract problems, using his imagination to master his assignments. For Cory, school often became just an extension of playtime, thanks to his ability to turn just about anything into a game. Classmates considered Cory a good listener, knowing that when necessary, they could go to him to discuss just about anything. His favorite class in high school was wood shop and CAD (computer assisted design). The teacher he enjoyed learning from the most was Mrs. Summers in grade school.

With a talent for making acquaintances easily which in turn brought him an endless stream of friends, Cory was very sociable and could blend without effort into any social group. Assertive and outgoing, Cory was easy to know and demonstrated a deep concern for others. He always seemed aware of what was going on with people around him and throughout his life he made many, many friends. While growing up, some of his best friends were Doane, Joey, Marissa, and Mikal. Later in life, he became friends with Brent, Mick, Travis, and Justin.

Cory was engaged to his fiancé Lana Tracy on April 16, 2010. Wedding plans were in place for a June 2011 wedding in Mexico. Cory's skill at “building bridges” played an important role in his ability to make his new family happy. He was quite sensitive towards Lana's needs, showing his constant concern and fondness. Cory was tenderhearted and sensitive, qualities that served him well in helping to nurture his family.

Cory was a natural and creative parent who was willing to provide his family with all sorts of new and interesting experiences. For Cory, parenting was a particularly enjoyable and pleasurable part of his life. Every activity, from chores to bedtime routines, became a game in the Kercher home. Cory's skill at understanding his children's feelings, his sensitivity to their needs, and his gift for gentle persuasion enabled him to find novel solutions to any problem or situation that might crop up. Cory was blessed with four children: three sons, Cory, Kayden, Kayne, and one daughter, Katlyn.

Cory was uplifted by new ideas and was excited by life’s possibilities, traits that made him an exceptional worker. His primary occupation was General Contracting. Cory was enterprising, inventive and working against deadlines seemed to energize him. Cory had the uncanny ability to identify a win/win solution to just about any problem, possibly because of his gift for insight. Cory's fellow workers saw him as a supporter and a mentor.

Because Cory loved to have a broad variety of activities in his life, he took advantage of the opportunity to pursue numerous hobbies. His favorite pursuits were to build and make his own inventions. Cory had a knack for being able to multi-task in order to create time for all of his favorite pastimes. However, Cory's ever-present concern for others always took precedent.

Cory derived much satisfaction from participating in and watching sports. His charisma, supportive nature and ability to improvise when called upon to do so all made perfect attributes for enjoying a great many sporting activities. Recreational sports included wrestling in high school and later playing with his children. Cory was also something of a sports fan and enjoyed watching his favorite events whenever he got the opportunity. Tops on his list were football,( Seahawks), and hockey,( Atlanta Thrashers).

Cory's love of improvising in his daily life was a perfect fit for his enjoyment of traveling. His favorite vacations were ones that were not planned. Traveling in a casual manor fit his personality well. Excited about seeing changing scenery and constantly looking for the enjoyment life could offer, Cory took his vacations seriously, well, as seriously as he possibly could. Favorite vacations included trips to Mexico and Disneyland.

Cory was a lover of animals and cherished his pets. Taco, a Chihuahua, was a best friend for 8 months. His family was rounded out by his 2 cats, Daisy and Scooter. They were all his favorite.

Cory Kercher passed away on December 18, 2010 at his residence in Seattle, Washington. He is survived by fiancé, Lana Tracy; his children, Cory Kercher, Katlyn White, Kayden Kercher, and Kayne Kercher; his parents, James Kercher(Joyce) and Rita Copeland; his grandparents, Martha Kercher and Lieselotte Robinson; siblings, Cassandra Kercher, Amy Olinger, Briana Copeland, and Jacob Copeland. Services were held at Yarington's Funeral Home on Thursday, December 30, 2010 at 2:00pm. In memory of Cory, there will be a headstone for him at Riverton Crest Cemetery, Tukwila, Washington.

There was always a certain style and inventiveness to Cory. He was a dynamic, self-expressive person who was forever looking to celebrate the endless possibilities life had to offer. He had a knack for being clever, creative and witty, and for others, was a joy to be around. While he was often fiercely independent, it seemed as if many others looked to Cory Kercher for inspiration, leadership, wisdom and even courage. Cory was always more than willing to share life’s experiences with his loved ones.