Mary Kathryn Robinson-Bates

Heaven's now alive with the Sound of Music. Our modern-day Maria has packed up her guitar and sweet singing voice and gone to heaven. With her gorgeous smile, infectious laugh, and generous heart, she’s now performing with the best choir ever. Marikay died peacefully on August 8th at the age of 82.

Marikay had it all. Raised in a loving, Catholic family with 4 brothers and 1 sister (FINALLY!), life on 53rd and Latona in Wallingford had everything a kid could want. She had friends, cousins, and Blessed Sacrament Church right outside her front door. As a kid, she loved to play sports, competed in spelling bees, and had a close-knit group of friends in high school.

Smart, strong-willed, and funny, she made one of her most important decisions in life at age 18 when she graduated from Blanchet High School and, on a whim, she signed up with the Edmonds Dominican Sisters. "I could do this," she thought. "My friends won't believe me!" She loved life in the convent and made life-long friends. She taught in 4 Catholic grade schools where the students adored this young, vibrant nun. Yet, after 14 years she wanted a family of her own, so, like a purple butterfly released into the sky, she left the convent and went to Alaska to find a man. After 3 years up north, she did not find her man in Fairbanks but developed wonderful friends and had many stories to tell.

Pulled back to Seattle in 1980, Marikay taught at Blessed Sacrament School where a friendship with Steve Bates, a teacher across the hall, eventually blossomed into a love story. She had found THE man. They married in 1983 and welcomed 2 children in the next 3 years. These were the happiest years of her life. Fun-loving as ever, the family went on baseball and soccer trips around the country, had water and pillow fights, and joined the Robinsons at Camano Island. While raising her family, she worked at the election department, edited voter’s pamphlets, and helped coordinate Japanese exchange programs. That connection to foreign students led to the family welcoming a new Japanese student into their house every year from 1988 to 2020. In later years, she worked as a substitute teacher in Steve’s school in North Bend. Everyone who sat at the kitchen table became family. This became the Robinson-Bates legacy.

There are many people who live on to carry on her vibrant spirit: Her husband, Steve, their two children Chris (Emily) and Katie (Dean), daughters from Japan, Kaori and Akari, 4 grandchildren (Josie, Hayden, Brody, Otis, and another sweet girl on the way), her brothers Tom (Jeanie) and Fred (Riza) and sister Annie (Chad). Marikay joins her parents, Carl and Kay Robinson, and 3 brothers, Joe, Carl Jr, and Ed, in heaven. Heartfelt thanks go to all who helped through her years with dementia. Special mention to Dr. Steve Montague, Heather Miller, Faith Nthiga, and the kind caregivers at Jefferson House Memory Care.

A funeral mass will be celebrated at St. Catherine of Siena Church at 814 NE 85th Street in Seattle on Friday, September 18 at 11 AM followed by a reception in the parish hall. All who knew and loved her are invited to come to celebrate her life and share memories of our dear Marikay. She loved pink, purple, and bright patterns, so please feel free to wear something to make her final goodbye a celebration. We hope to Live-stream the funeral, so please check back on this website for details.