Lois Helen “Kate” McKitrick, 96, of Bellevue, passed away Jan. 7 in Meridian of natural causes.
Kate was born Feb. 28, 1916, in Hardman, Ore. She was the daughter of Joseph and Ida Mae Adams. As a young woman, Kate was wooed by a cowboy name Duff McKitrick. They were married Dec. 25, 1934, in Hepner, Ore. This came as a surprise to Kate since she had found out about this only the night before. While living in Oregon, Kate spent time working in the logging camps, cooking and caring for the loggers and raising her son Roger while Duff logged.
In 1946, Kate and Duff moved to Bellevue. It was here Kate’s daughter Vicki was born. While living in Bellevue, Kate continued to be a homemaker, but also spent time working at the Sage Shop in Hailey and later being a cook at Bellevue Elementary School.
Kate loved people. She especially loved having company over and visiting with friends. On any given day, you could drive by her house and see a little blue Subaru parked in the driveway and inside Kate and her friend Lula Shoemaker would be sitting at the kitchen counter chatting away over a cup of coffee. She also enjoyed visits from her neighbors Jet, Holly, Kenny and Ann. Kate also really enjoyed talking for hours on the phone to her dear friend Anafee O’Donnell. Kate also loved family, especially her five great-grandchildren.
She is survived by her brother Frank of Oregon; her daughter Vicki; grandsons Crist and Joshua Aldinger; and great-grandchildren Aliya, McKenna, Keona, Ryan and Hope, all of Meridian. She was preceded in death by her parents, Joseph and Ida Mae, husband Duff, and her son Roger.
A memorial will be held at 1 p.m. this Saturday, June 22, 2013, at Bellevue City Park.
Services are under the care of Wood River Chapel. Friends are invited to share memories, leave a condolence and light a candle at www.woodriverchapel.com.
