Barbara Hammond Matter

Barbara was born in Seattle, Washington, on October 21, 1950 to Albert and Frances (Small) Hammond. She was a proud and loving older sister when brother George was born and then later sister Susan. She was preceded in death by both her parents and her brother.

Barbara had fond memories of her early years in Seattle, but she was excited for a new adventure when the Hammond family relocated to a brand-new home in Lynnwood, Washington, in 1961. Barbara attended Maple Park Elementary in the 6th grade, Meadowdale Jr. High, and graduated from Meadowdale High School in 1968. After high school she graduated from Edmonds Community College with an Associate of Arts degree in 1970. She then transferred to Western Washington State College in Bellingham, Washington, and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1972, majoring in History/Political Science and minoring in Library Science.

Barbara was hired at the Service Center of the King County Library System in 1973 as a temporary clerk in the cataloging department. This temporary job turned into a 32-year career with KCLS, retiring as a Senior Library Technician in 2005. She started with print work, but most of her career was as a nonprint cataloger including VHS videos and music recordings. Her music cataloging duties showed the evolution of the music industry as she started with vinyl albums, then cassette tapes, and eventually those formats gave way to plenty of compact discs. Her work performance was always commendable. She had excellent organization and leadership skills, outstanding depth and breadth of knowledge in her field, and had great relationships with those she worked with. Many of her co-workers continued to be close friends long after her retirement.

Barbara met her husband Mark at KCLS when Mark was a shipping driver there. They married on May 6, 1978, a date chosen because that was when lilacs, her favorite flower, would be in bloom. They made their home in Seattle, Edmonds, and most recently Everett.

A member of Alderwood Community Church since about 1990, her faith was very important to her. She regularly attended adult Sunday school classes and services until her health declined. When she was able to attend, she would usually arrive early to listen to the choir practice. This was her favorite time to worship. When she no longer attended due to health issues, she would watch online church services.

Dad called Barb “Smiley” – she smiled often and was always ready for a laugh. She loved her family and was excited as each nephew, niece, or little cousin joined the family. She remembered family and friends with a card or text when birthdays or holidays rolled around. She loved all nature, but especially birds and sea otters, and of course her beloved pet yorkie Chelsea and cats Kalissa and Kipper.

She is survived by her husband Mark Matter of 46 years, her sister Susan (David) Ediger, nephew Nathan (Ginger) Ediger, niece Rachel Ediger, sister-in-law Marlys (Bob) Everson, nephew Josh (Jen) Everson, nieces Cara (Peter) Aeschliman, Michelle (Tony) Caro, great nephews, great nieces, numerous cousins including Dianne Ulrich and Donna Henderson (first cousins who were like sisters to her), and close friends who all loved her very much.

Inurnment will be held January 28, 2025 at 2:00 pm at Purdy & Walters at Floral Hills, Lynnwood in the Azalea Garden area. A Celebration of Life service at Alderwood Community Church in Lynnwood is planned for May when the lilacs are in bloom.