Katherine Fishbourne

Wenatchee, WA

Katherine Fishbourne, 88, of Wenatchee, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, September 28, 2011, surrounded by her family. She was born on November 5, 1922, in Twila, KY to Gus and Susan Schoening.

At the age of four, Katherine's family moved from Kentucky to Blaine, WA, where the family settled and she and her six siblings were raised. She graduated from Blaine High School and six days later, married her sweetheart, William "Bill" Fishbourne, on June 5, 1942. Katherine and Bill made their first home in Seattle, WA. Their first daughter, Sharon, was born in Seattle and shortly thereafter, Bill was drafted to serve in the U.S. Army during World War II. Katherine and Sharon moved back to Blaine during Bill's overseas duty.

Upon her husband's return from his Army service, Katherine and Bill made their home in Ferndale, WA, where they were blessed with four additional children: Bill Junior, Jeanne, Susan and Paul. In 1956, they moved to Manson, WA, to manage a 500 acre ranch. Katherine managed her home and garden with an amazing ability. Soon they were blessed with son, Jim, and two years later, another son, David. In 1962, they moved to Cashmere, WA and eventually moved to Wenatchee.

Katherine's love in life was her family. Her greatest joy was to be surrounded by her family, to cook and bake for them, and always be there for them. Katherine's full cookie jar, her homemade cinnamon rolls, and dinner rolls were known as home staples.

Katherine and Bill shared their devotion to the Lord and Savior by serving others with the love of Christ. Their priority was to raise their family to have a personal relationship with Christ, and a constant prayer support helped guide the family. Katherine touched others by sharing her servant's heart in hospitality, both at home and at church. Katherine's dinner table always had room for more.

Over the years, Katherine had so often reflected on the 15 years she and Bill shared after his retirement, traveling together in their motorhome throughout the U.S, visiting new-found relatives and friends from their past. After 58-1/2 years of marriage, Katherine said good-bye to her husband and best friend. As Katherine grieved her loss, her deep faith and positive attitude prevailed, and she moved forward to live a life of joy and sharing with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

In 2002, Katherine moved into Colonial Vista Retirement Apartments, where she met many new friends. She was chosen Valentine Queen, the Red Hat Club's Queen of the Okanogan Valley, as well as resident of the month many times. She involved herself in day trips, bazaars, volunteer work in the office, and hostess assistant on a consistent basis.

Katherine is survived by her devoted children, Sharon (Kingsley) Johnson of Seattle, WA, Bill (Nannette) Fishbourne of Wenatchee, Jeanne (Bob) Kelly of Seattle, WA, Susan (Phil) Rogers of Wenatchee, Paul (Mary) Fishbourne of East Wenatchee, Jim (Nancy) Fishbourne of East Wenatchee and David (Cindy) Fishbourne of Wenatchee; 12 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; her sister, Mary (Richard) Lind-Speidel of Lynnwood, WA; brother, Bill (May) Schoening of Salem, OR; and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Bill; her parents; her brothers, Otis, John and Robert; and sister, Minnie.

A Graveside Service of Celebration will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 1, 2011, at the Wenatchee City Cemetery. Please express your thoughts and memories on the online guestbook at jonesjonesbetts.com. Services are under the direction of Jones & Jones~Betts Funeral Home, Wenatchee, WA.