Kimley Ann Storms

As the knowledge of Kim’s passing has spread through the neighborhood, those who knew Kim have expressed their sympathy, told me how they thought Kim was a very kind and generous person, and that they would miss her presence and company. Those words are of great comfort to me, but the Kim I knew was so much more, and I wanted to tell you about her.

Kim was forced to assume major family responsibilities when she was still very young, and though she did the best she could, I believe those burdens left a scar on her soul which she carried for the rest of her life. She eventually ended up living in California, in the community of Ocean Beach (also known as the OB for those in the know, as she would say). While putting herself through school at San Diego State University in the early 70s, she lived in a small apartment near the pier on the beach, and was able to walk on the beach daily, which she really loved. That apartment is still there which she found amusing since the apartments were low cost but lacking in many amenities. I found it a little hard to believe that the Kim of that time was much more freer than the Kim I knew, and she attended multiple musical concerts such as the Rolling Stones, and visited the Troubadour club in Los Angeles. She even saw an early Steve Martin in concert, along with the arrow sticking through his head and maybe heard his famous “Well, excu-u-use me” line. Although she had to work hard to earn money for rent and college, I think that time might have been one of her favorites.

I first met Kim around 1986, and if I recall she would not impressed with me, and only said hello. I thought she was pretty, but there was obviously no sparks between us. However, over time I got to know her much better, and eventually she told me she was going through a difficult time in her life. I let her know that if she needed any help or support I would be there for her. I believe I had developed a great affection for her by that time, and maybe she had some feelings for me. So she decided to make a great change in her life, and we moved in together and became a couple. It would have been nice to say that things between us went completely smooth and without trouble, and though I felt we were a very good match, we did not get along all the time, and at one time we were separated about 1 year. I cannot put the blame on anyone specifically, but I would have to confess that I probably was lacking in some maturity and experience, and may have expected more in our relationship than Kim could give. After our 1 year separation we came back together, and relationship had matured to the point that both of us really needed and loved each other, and we never separated again.

I like to think that I was the most important thing in Kim’s life, but that would be far from the truth. The most things in Kim’s life were always the 4 dogs we had: Ramades, Koni, Bradie and Sport. All 4 dogs were Border Collies, or Border Collie mixes, and they always controlled where we lived, and what we did. Although we never had any children, these dogs were her children, and she took care of them and defended them like a Mother defends her child. On one occasion Kim was walking Bradie in a nearby Kirkland neighborhood when another dog charged at Bradie viscously with its teeth bared. Kim put herself between both dogs and the other dog bit deep into Kim’s ankle multiple times. The other dog ran off, but Kim was bleeding so badly that while driving back home a large pool of blood had formed on her car floor mat. She had to go to the hospital emergency room and they told her that the wound had almost cut into the muscle in her leg. It took her several months to recover from that attack.

On another occasion, Koni was diagnosed with bone cancer, which was going to limit his life to maybe 2 to 5 months without treatment. Kim immediately went into research mode and investigated any possible supplements which might help. She also contacted a couple of professors at the University of Washington who had done some research with a drug for treating malaria, but also had shown some effect in fighting bone cancer in dogs. Eventually she was giving Koni maybe 10 supplement pills in every meal twice a day. Koni lived for 9 months without apparent pain or limping before finally losing the battle.

Her love for dogs also extended to other communities, and when she heard about animals who were suffering or abandoned because of fires, or wars, or in overcrowded animal shelters she would send money to help.

Kim was always a healthy individual, a vegetarian, and exercised by initially running every day and then transitioned to walking in her later years. Unfortunately, all her efforts to stay healthy seemed to fail her as she grew older. It seemed that she would experience one episode of misfortune after another, with no connection between them. She had a tendon tear in one of her ankles which required surgery and she had to rehabilitate for several months. Another time she was experiencing severe abdominal pain and had to go in for emergency surgery. The doctor said she might have had a twisted intestine, and if she waited any longer she probably would have died in a few hours. The doctor ended up removing some of her small intestines. More recently she was diagnosed with macular degeneration which was causing her to slowly loose some of her vision in both eyes, was diagnosed with a condition which caused her to have low red blood cell count, and scoliosis, or curvature of the spine. All of this conditions caused Kim to experience constant pain and weakness. She also had a terrible accident in October 2024 in which she fell down and broke bones in her shoulder and hip. She had to have screws and pins inserted in both joints and do several months of rehabilitation.

After her fall in October things really went downhill for Kim. She was diagnosed with lymphoma, or cancer of the lymphatic system, and had a bacterial infection which covered her lungs and interfered with her breathing. She fought through every one of these afflictions with courage and determination, and never gave up. However, in early July Kim was complaining about feeling dizzy, and we went to the emergency room. They performed an MRI test which indicated that she had experienced a mild stroke. Fortunately, there was no apparent loss of speech or motor function. However, they found that she had another bacterial infection, and it had spread to one of the valves in her heart. It was critical that she have heart surgery as soon as possible, so arrangements were made to have her transferred from Kirkland to UW Medicine in Seattle on Thursday, July 10.

According the my conversation with one of her nurses, early in the evening on the day she was going to be transferred to Seattle, Kim was taking a walk with one of the nurses, and she seemed perfectly fine. After her walk Kim was sitting by the window of her hospital room when the monitoring station keeping track of her vital functions sent out an alarm that Kim’s heart rate was dropping rapidly. The nurses rushed into her room to find that Kim had collapsed and her heart had stopped beating. They attempted to resuscitate her for 25 minutes but were never able to get her heart to beat again.

I received a telephone call at around 8:15 pm, and was expecting that Kim was calling to tell me that she had already been transferred to Seattle and was settled into her new room. However, the voice on the phone was not Kim’s but another woman. I immediately felt something bad had happened, but when the nurse told me that Kim’s heart had stopped and that she was gone I was caught completely off guard, and unprepared for that kind on news. I knew that the surgery Kim was going to have was dangerous, and that she might not survive, but I never anticipated that her heart was so badly damaged that she would not last long enough to get to Seattle. I immediately went to the hospital to see Kim, and the nurses had done a good job of placing her back into her bed and laying her down in a peaceful and serene position. Her face looked like she was completely pain free for the first time in years. I tried to take in as much of her as I could because I knew this would probably be the last time we would be together. I gathered all her possessions and then I left.

Early in the morning on that last day I had visited Kim because I had to get something from her. Of course neither one of us knew that it would be the last time we would see each other alive, but as I left Kim’s last words to me were that she loved me. I thought that was very unusual because we never expressed our love for each other verbally, only at the ends of a birthday card or a Christmas card. I will always wonder if Kim was afraid that we might not see each other again, and she wanted me to know she loved me. As I left the room my last words to her was that I love you too. Although we did speak on the telephone later that day, I will always remember that morning conversation as our last one.

I could say much more about Kim, but I do not want to take up any more of your time. I will say that more than anyone I have ever known, Kim was the most important person in my life. I will never understand what she saw in me that she could love, because I do not see it in myself. Her humanity and generous spirit was my connection to the world, and I only hope that I was able to give something back to her which she could cherish and value too.

Rest in peace Kim