Kathy Ann Stein

Kathy Ann Stein

On February 18, 1947, Kathy Ann was the firstborn child to Stan and Betty Jenkins. She was the oldest sibling to Darlene, Jim and Pete. From her childhood and through her entire life, Kathy’s three siblings were her best friends. They were a very tight four, owing, in no small part, to the fact that they as a family moved 19 times before Kathy graduated high school. The nineteenth move was to Yakima, Washington.

Kathy attended Eisenhower High School and from there graduated in 1965. She loved her time at Eisenhower. She was a cheerleader and was actively involved in the school. But, without question, her time at Eisenhower was defined by meeting the love of her life and best friend, Jerry Stein. These high school sweethearts were married on January 8, 1966.

Later that year, on August 12, Kathy and Jerry welcomed their firstborn, a son named Eric. Eric was born in Bellevue, Washington, which is where they were living while Jerry worked for Boeing. Jerry and Kathy then moved to Ellensburg, Washington so Jerry could attend Central Washington University in order to earn his teaching degree. On March 3, 1970, while they were living in Ellensburg, Kathy and Jerry welcomed their second child, a daughter named Victoria.

In 1976, Kathy and her family finally settled in Yakima. Jerry began working as a teacher in the Union Gap school district, and Kathy started working as a para-professional at Summitview Elementary School. She later transitioned to a secretary position in the counselor’s office at the West Valley Junior High School, and there she spent the remainder of her career—25 years. Kathy saw two generations of students come through the Junior High. She loved the students and her co-workers, and they loved her. She made life-long friends through her connections at the Junior High.

Outside of her career, Kathy loved supporting her kids’ activities. Kathy and Jerry were always present and encouraged Eric and Vickie to pursue their interests. In turn, Kathy and Jerry always shared their own interests with Eric and Vickie. And they had a special interest in the natural world, in history, and in the history of the natural world. Built in to every road trip was a break to absorb a natural landmark or to learn about a historical event—or both.

Kathy later became a grandmother to Tyler Gallaway, Whitney Olson (Stein), and Brian Stein. Her grandchildren were the light of her life. Both she and Jerry were always present at their grandkids’ sporting events. Kathy earned the nickname “Grandma Cookie” for her endless supply of cookies she brought to their sporting events. She was prepared to supply more than desserts, though. She also carried with her a Mary Poppins-esque bag containing everything one would need: band-aids, breath mints, gum, snacks of various sorts, books, crossword puzzles, fingernail file, fingernail clippers, lotion, chapstick, sunscreen, Kleenex, pens, pencils, sunglasses, a small umbrella, and plenty more.

While Kathy loved her career, she also loved retirement. She and Jerry were frequent travelers, often with their best friends Alan and Linda Churchill. Their favorite place to visit was Cannon Beach, Oregon, to which they traveled every year. Hawaii was also a frequent vacation spot for them. Less often, though not less meaningful, they took a cruise. On one cruise, they went to Alaska to view wildlife and glaciers. On another, they went to the east coast to view the foliage of the Canadian forests. Aside from traveling, she and Jerry set before themselves fun challenges. One year, they set out to read 50 books, and in another, to watch 100 movies. Together, they were so full of life and were quite the match (literally, often arriving in matching attire).

In 2012, Jerry, Kathy’s best friend and love, passed. While brokenhearted, she was nonetheless determined to find a new path without him beside her. She became an active member of the Yakima Athletic Club, where she was enrolled in several exercise classes. She, along with several close friends, became regular patrons of the Capitol Theatre, specifically for the Town Hall series. She was always very excited to learn from the speakers and had much to share after the event. She mourned the loss of Jerry, but her spirit was never depressed. Even if it was not explicitly expressed, she had a lot to teach about responding to the loss of a loved one. We would do well to respond in kind.

Every person is unique—but Kathy was uniquely unique. Here are some examples. First, some Kathy-isms: “Holy cow barns!” “Hot spit!” “It was a real barn-burner!” Those are classic Kathy. She also loved sound effects. Blowing a raspberry was a staple of hers.

She was always positive. “Happiness is a choice,” she would say, and she made that choice every day. She had her own pair of roller blades and Whitney fondly remembers rolling blading alongside her. She and Jerry had both a ping pong table and an air hockey table in their basement. She was fun, very fun. Here’s another example. One day, when daydreaming with Carolyn Elkey and Chris Pidduck about living together, Kathy said that Carolyn would do the cooking and Chris the cleaning. When asked what she would add to this living arrangement, she said, “I’m in charge of fun!” Exactly right; that’s Kathy.

She was an exquisite back-seat driver. She always—always—had your blind-spot covered—“Maintain speed! Maintain speed! Yellow sedan to your right!” Best not to turn left across lanes of traffic, though. She would advise against it, and she would close her eyes as you went for it, all the while growling, “Ohhhh boy!”

No person had a greater love for creation than did Kathy. She studied birds—all of them, from the goldfinch to the peregrin falcon to the pelican and so on. She had a small library of bird books. She did not particularly like scrub-jays, though. The fault must have certainly been theirs, because it was very difficult for Kathy to dislike any wildlife. She refused to kill the spiders who invaded her home, for example. She abided by a strict catch-and-release policy. In fact, Tyler knew her as his “Grandma Buggy,” and his daughter (Arabelle) will forever remember her as “Bug Bug.” She loved plants and trees and flowers. She never missed an opportunity to identify some form of plant life. She tracked the rainfall, the snowfall, the humidity, the wind, the heat, the cold, weather fronts of all kinds, and she tracked the stars. She loved Mt. Rainier, picnics, and the autumn leaves.

She had an alarm set for everything. Time to go to Eric’s to let the dogs out? She had an alarm for that. Time to change the sprinklers? She had an alarm for that. An incoming weather pattern? She had an alarm for that. Time to get the mail? She had an alarm for that. Time to put out the garbage? She had an alarm for that. In fact, that alarm went off during Whitney’s wedding ceremony.

She was not exactly the rebellious kind. But, one time, she allowed Whitney (who did not yet have her permit) to drive her car in the Junior High parking lot. She directed Whitney to “not tell Grandpa.” That, for her, was rebellious. To demonstrate her aversion to rebellion, while one time riding passenger with Brian, she prohibited him from going over 40 mph on Ahtanum, where the speed limit is 50 mph. 50 mph is the maximum speed at which one can travel, after all.

She was a foodie. She loved to bake. Whenever her grandkids stayed the night or were over in the morning, she made them chocolate chips pancakes. She also loved to eat. She had a magnet on her fridge that read the following: “Ways to my heart: 1) Buy me food 2) Make me food 3) Be food.” Soon after Jerry passed, Brian was going through driver’s ed, and Kathy was tasked with taking him to and from class. After every class, she would take Brian to a new burger joint to evaluate the quality of that joint’s burgers.

Kathy was, in a word, genuinely curious. She was curious about people and about the world around her. Her curiosity came from love. And to know her was to love her, because one could feel her love.

She had abundant life even as she was facing death. As cancer was taking over her body, she was brave, dignified, and kind to all. She never complained, even though the cancer and the treatment prevented her from doing some of her most beloved activities: talking and eating. She wanted her cancer treatment to serve to advance the field of cancer research.

The bond she built with her siblings carried through her whole life. Darlene, Jim and Pete were by her side throughout her treatment, providing love, compassion, and laughter.

On behalf of Kathy and her family, a very special thanks to Caroline’s Haven, Kathy’s hospice team, and friends who supported her. More specifically, thank you to Carolyn Elkey, Chris Pidduck, and Mary Madison. Your love, care, and friendship will never be forgotten.

Kathy is survived by her son Eric (Sue) Stein; her daughter Vickie (Bob) Elkey; her sister Darlene, brother Jim (Perri), and brother Pete; her grandson Tyler (Emilee) Gallaway; her granddaughter Whitney (Garrett) Olson; and her grandson Brian (Kenna) Stein; her great-granddaughters Avery and Olivia Olson; her great-granddaughter Arabelle Gallaway; and her great-grandson Huxton Gallaway; and numerous loving cousins, nephews and nieces.

If you are considering a donation in her name, please donate to National Parks, the Humane Society, or any other charity of your choice.

Kathy’s celebration of life will be held on May 9, 2026, from 1 pm to 4 pm at the Harman Center located at 101 N 65th Ave., Yakima, WA 98908. All who loved her are welcome.

Kathy’s life was an abundant life well-lived. On her behalf, we will conclude as she customarily did: “Love ya loads!”