Helen Hatcher

Helen Rhea Hatcher, 89, was born March 23, 1923 in Stone County Missouri to parents Les and Elsa Amos. She was the oldest of three children. She passed October 24, 2012 at the Belair House Adult Family Home in Cle Elum, WA. She was married to Jack Hatcher for 58 years, from 1945 until his death in 2003. Dad said that he wanted to marry the prettiest girl in Monett, Missouri at the end of WWII or he would head back overseas to Australia. Lucky for us, she accepted his offer. Mom never threw away any of the box full of letters he wrote her during WWII.

Mom worked as a comptometer operator during WW II in Springfield Missouri and in Columbia Missouri after the war while Dad attended the University of Missouri. They often joked about the 17 foot travel trailer they lived in for four years while dad was in college. They lived in Wichita Kansas from 1950 to 1964 where dad worked for Boeing and mom raised their two sons while being a Cub Scout den mother and active member of the PTA. In 1964, our family moved to Seattle where dad continued to work for Boeing and mom was active in the Seattle Children’s Orthopedic Guild. Mom and Dad remained there until his retirement in 1980. They had a grape farm for five years in Zillah WA and then were “snow birds” between WA and AZ until 2003.

Mom was a devoted and loving mother. She remained a dedicated mother and wife throughout any sickness in her family. She always accompanied us on fishing trips, whether it was trout fishing in central WA or salmon fishing off the coast of WA. She wasn’t necessarily fond of fishing; she just wanted to be with her three men. Mom loved people and was adored by all who met her. She always had a twinkle in her eye and loved a joke.

Mom is preceded in death by her parents, husband, sister, and infant brother. Survivors include her two sons, Lynn (Anne) Hatcher of Cle Elum Washington and Wayne (Sharon) Hatcher of Duncan Oklahoma, two grandchildren, John (Jill) Hatcher of Rathdrum, Idaho, and Jessa Hatcher of Honolulu, Hawaii, three great grandchildren, Baylee, Blake, and Libby Hatcher, and nieces and nephews.

Special thanks to the staff at the Dry Creek Assisted Living Facility in Ellensburg, the Belair House Adult Family Home in Cle Elum, and the Kittitas Valley Clinic for the compassionate care they gave our mom.

Arrangements are under the care of Cascade Funeral Home. Condolences may be left for the family at www.cascadefuneralhome.com.