Michelyn (Myke) Myke Kaye Chapin

Michelyn “Myke” Kaye Chapin was born on April 2, 1943 in Spokane, Washington to James Michael Plessas and Ruth Irene Cumpton Plessas. She just happen to come on their fifth wedding anniversary. World War II had just started for the United States and her Dad joined the Navy and was off to War until he came back in 1945. During this time our Grandmother, Clara Belle Duckworth Cumpton came to live with Ruth and Myke. Grandma took care of Myke while Ruth worked for the Military.

Everyone who knew Myke, knew that she hated her name (The Michelyn not the Myke). Our Mom made it up. During her early years she was Sissy to family, later on she went by her Middle name Kaye and then back to Myke. It fit her perfectly.

After her Dad came home from the War little brother, James Gregory “Greg” Plessas was born in 1946. The family moved around a lot in search of employment and ended up in Oroville, Washington because some of Mom’s brothers were there. At some point Ruth and James split up.

In February of 1951 Ruth married James Ivan Morris, he went by Ivan, none of the men named James in our family goes by their given name, a family quirk I guess. Myke adored Ivan and thought of him as her other father. About this time they moved back to Spokane, Washington and in April of 1952, little sister Shannon Lee Morris Lewis was born.

Her father had remarried Bea Plessas and they brought more siblings to her life. They are Patricia Plessas Walker, David Plessas, Michael Paul Plessas and Dennis George Plessas. All of them had grown up mostly in California.

Again the family moved around a lot in search of employment. Ending up in a little town in California, called Willow Creek. She lived in a house that the foundation was tilted and if you put a marble on the floor it would roll all the way to the other side of the house. The kids shared a big bedroom that had a stove in the middle of it to keep them warm. Ruth was working at the Drug Store and Myke being the oldest was in charge of Greg and Shannon. Well they lived on a river and it wasn’t a small one either. Myke would take Greg and Shannon and put them in inner tubes and go to the other side of river, so they could play with the kids on the other side. Myke could swim, Greg could a little and Shannon couldn’t at all. It is truly amazing that they didn’t drown and if Ruth had found out the “ you know what would have hit the you know what”.

That winter the river flooded and took out the main bridge to Willow Creek, this left them stranded for days. In the end Myke and Greg could not get to School, so they ended up in Forest Grove, Oregon with their Aunt Vera and Uncle Moon Fisher so they could go to school. She had mixed feelings about her time there. She did get to bond with her cousins, Betty and Faye, but our aunt was very religious and made everyone go to church several times a week which she thought was cutting into her social life. She was very out going and always in middle of all social stuff at school, she had to be around 14 at this time.

When all was said and done, by the time school was let out we were on our way to Sparks, Nevada. Shannon turned six there, which would have made Myke about 15. Soon after they headed back to Spokane. Myke went to West Valley High School for her sophomore and junior years, which was her favorite. In June of 1959, Ruth decided to separate from Ivan and move us to Seattle, to be by our Aunt Betty Jones Duncan. Myke wanted to stay in Spokane and finish her senior year at West Valley. Ruth refused to let her stay with Ivan stating it wasn’t proper, so Myke decided to go live with her Dad in Arcata, California. She was at her new school just a few months and was elected Queen of the Dance by her new peers. That shows you how out going she was.

During her time in California, Ruth married Jerry English and moved to the house in Ballard.

After graduating, she did come and join the rest of the family in Seattle. She began her career as a waitress at a restaurant called the Triple X in Ballard, she was very personable and people enjoyed her. It was about this time that she met Judson Chapin through mutual friends, they married on November 13, 1964, it was Friday the thirteenth (Jud picked the day).

Myke became a Mom when Christopher Jon Chapin was born on November 11, 1962 and then three years later, Tammi Irene Chapin was born on May 23, 1965. Myke was a devoted mother and her children were her greatest joy until she became a Grandmother , then her granddaughters took front stage.

They had saved their money and bought their first home in Lynnwood, WA. Chris and Tammi went to Elementary School there, before they bought their second home in South Everett and finally bought the home in Snohomish with five acres. They kids finished school there and we had many family gatherings at all their homes. She loved to cook and bake.

During the time they lived in South Everett, Jud’s job took them to live in Johnson City, Tennessee for two years. Myke really liked it back there and would have stayed if she could have, but Jud’s parents were getting older and he felt they needed to be back here.

The family loved to go camping and water skiing during the summer.

Jud started his own business and Myke took on the job of office manager in the early 1980’s.

Tammi met and married, Scott Miller in 1989. Myke and Scott became very close and she always thought of him as her other son. On September 13, 1990 her first granddaughter was born, Brittny (Brett) Chernobieff and then one year later to the day, Meagan Mychelyn Miller (Nick Nordby) was born. They were her life and greatest joy until her Great Grandson, Layne Cash Chernobieff was born in 2014. The family was so pleased that he could give her such pleasure in her last year and a half.

Myke passed away on August 10, 2015 in her home in Lake Stevens, Washington with her family by her side.

She is going to be greatly missed and we loved her so much.

A Celebration of her life will be held at Purdy & Walters at Floral Hills Funeral Home 409 Filbert Rd, Lynnwood, Washington on Saturday, August 29, 2015 at Noon.