Gloria Pearl Kimball

A private service for Pat Kimball will be held Thursday, December 2, 2021 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM at Purdy & Walters at Floral Hills, 409 Filbert Road, Lynnwood, WA 98036, followed by a graveside service from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM.

A memorial MomFest celebration will be scheduled at a later date as weather permits. Notifications will go out to everyone in advance of that event.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.floralhillslynnwood.com for the KIMBALL family.

Pat Kimball (Gloria P. Ormbrek) was born September 27th 1924 in a logging camp near Fall City, Washington and passed away November 18, 2021 at her home at Olympic Place, Arlington. She was the first born of Theodore and Helga (Jorgensen) Ormbrek who lived in Woodinville Washington on the Ormbrek homestead. As the first born of the first born, her eleven Ormbrek aunts and uncles provided many first cousins across the years. At a reunion in 1994 the oldest cousin (Pat) posed with the youngest cousin representing a range in age of 50 years from the youngest to the oldest first cousin.

Her grandparents emigrated from Norway and worked hard as farmers, loggers and fisherman, helping to settle the rich valley from Carnation to Woodinville. She loved the large family gatherings at day long picnics with music and singing accompanied by violin, accordion and guitar, and she attended every Pioneer Picnic. From this upbringing Mom always focused on family and encouraged each of her children to explore sports, music, dance; whatever their heart desired. Pat married Jerry (Robert G.) Kimball in 1949 and they had five children. Although husband Jerry, brother Howdy and sister Shirley have passed away, her children and grandchildren continued to delight her all of her days. Dean (Cheryl) and children Kristen and Kelsey, Judy (Ed), Bill (Norine) and children Shannon (grandson Peyton) and Brandon (granddaughter Jaden), Jerry (Sue) and children Jesse and Christopher, Kari (Chuck) and children Heather, Kyle and Holly, sister Nancy and brother Gilbert, and many nieces and nephews continue to hold her in their hearts.

In her role as mother to a large brood, Pat was keen to take her children on adventures. Museums and local events around the Puget Sound were frequent outings. She never hesitated to include childhood friends and showed no fear in leading a dozen children through the crowds to the Torchlight parade. There was room for a friend or two to come along on overnight adventures too. Renting a cabin at Birch Bay was particularly fun with all the extra kids along for clam digging and crabbing in the bay. Her razor clam chowder was a special treat, as were her made-to-order pancakes for breakfast at the campsite. She would spell out our names or create any animal shape we liked, often startling the nearby campers as she gaily called out “Kari, your elephant's ready." Adventures to the shores of Lake Washington meant a basket full of blackberries turned into jam. A car trip into the mountains meant several stops to pick out a unique rock for her garden.

School plays meant wonderful scenery painted by Mom, and new band uniforms for the school meant Mom sewed for each member. Halloween costumes by Mom were the best. When three-year-old Billy tripped running across the yard in his ghost costume he stood up, looked down and saw the muddy marks. “Oh no, now they can see me!”, but not with our Mom. She swiftly cut up a new sheet and off we went Trick or Treating.

Mom was so proud of her children, always proud of our creativity. Dean was inspired by an enormous empty appliance box and decided to put a swimming pool in our bedroom. Snaking a garden hose through the window he quickly filled the box. Mom walked through the door just as the sides of the box gave way, and although the furnace in the basement was flooded, she was proud of the ingenuity. Jerry Boy, Jerbo, always the best at sports and mechanics, was the one that calmed Mom when the camper van broke down and the tow truck drivers only option was to tow the entire family in the van down the mountain. Judy showed no fear driving the family station wagon down the snowy neighborhood hill after it slid sideways in the road. Mom was so impressed at her bravery. Bill, a gifted musician, was her pride and joy channeling the Ormbrek love of music to the next generation. Kari was the love of her life, a dark-haired beauty like her grandmother and mother, and gave Mom such comfort throughout her life.

Mom was also a gifted artist of painting, sculpting and stained glass. While her children made snowmen, Mom would craft a rearing horse with mane and hooves stabbing the air, and her snow creations always made the local paper. After a fire at the Everett College library, which claimed the life of a fireman, she designed and created a very large stained-glass Phoenix rising from the fire. She donated her work to the new college library where it remains on display today. When we were grown and out of the house, she turned her attention to taking care of older people and worked well past her own retirement age in the health industry.

Mom loved to read stories and poems to her children at night before bed. This love of reading inspired a love of writing, and she wrote lovely short stories, initially on paper, even on the back of an envelope if she was inspired to capture a story. She wrote “Star of the Blue Green Sea” and “The Bright Jungle” under her G. Pat Kimball byline. Even in her advanced years, she mastered the computer to write a novel about “That Other Little Girl” which she finished in 2017.

Mom, Aunt Pat, Grandma, Nana…Pat Kimball never lost the wonder of childhood and the belief you can be whatever you wanted to be. She never missed an opportunity to tell each and every one of us how much she loved us and that we were such a gift. And she extended that motherly love to so many that needed to hear her words of encouragement. We will hear her beautiful voice in our memories.

You will be forever missed our beloved Mother.

You were such a rare gift to all of us.

You are forever in our hearts.