Mary Frederick

Mary Kristine (LaBrie) Frederick passed away peacefully and among loved ones on Saturday June 4th, 2022, just weeks after her 60th birthday. She joins her mother, Helen Marie (Garitone), and her father, William “Bill” Joseph LaBrie, as well as many aunts, uncles and grandparents in Heaven.

Mary was born in Tacoma, Washington on May 16, 1962. She was the oldest daughter of Bill and Helen and enjoyed a childhood focused on family and faith. Mary attended St. Charles Borromeo Elementary School in Tacoma, and Bellarmine and Wilson high schools. She was both extremely studious and an active teen, and she spent her summers lifeguarding and playing softball. After graduating from Wilson High School, Mary attended Gonzaga University in Spokane, graduating in 1985 with degrees in Accounting and Education.

After college, Mary moved back to the Seattle area, where she met her husband Daniel (Dan) Frederick in 1986. Mary and Dan were married in June of 1988 at St. Rita’s Catholic Church in Tacoma, Washington. The pair spent their honeymoon driving across the US to Dan’s hometown of Superior, IA, memorably camping in Flagstaff and watching the sunrise over the Grand Canyon.

Mary and Dan bought their first house in Renton, Washington, while Mary worked as a kindergarten teacher in the Kent School District. In 1993, she gave birth to her oldest daughter, Lauren. Her younger daughter, Kaitlin, was born five years later, in 1998. After taking time off from teaching to spend time with her daughters, Mary became a kindergarten teacher at St. Anthony’s School in Renton, where she also was a longtime member of the parish.

Children’s education was Mary’s true passion. Mary had a special place in her heart for children and made an impact on all of her classes. She was an advocate for all and would always take the extra time to make sure her students felt supported. Former students continued to remember and visit Mary for years after being in her class and she always welcomed them back with a warm hug.

Mary’s empathy and compassion were renowned. She generously provided much wonderful care for both her mom, whom she described as her best friend, and her dad during their final years.

Mary was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2017, at the age of 54. During this time she enjoyed traveling domestically and internationally with her family. An ice cream aficionado, Mary and her daughters would eat ice cream twice a day on most trips. Mary was also an avid walker, averaging over 10,000 steps daily until recently. Her family will always remember her love for Starbucks and shopping, as well as relaxing on the couch with a Hallmark movie.

Mary spent her last months at Aegis Living Memory Care in Kent, WA and her love of music and singing were well known by the caregivers and residents. Mary had a huge heart and loved everyone she met. She especially loved her family, and continued to recognize her husband and daughters in her final days. Even when she lost much of her ability to communicate, she would reliably respond “I love you too” at the end of their visits.

Although Mary was extremely private about her disease and chose to share it with very few people, she would want all of her friends and students to know how much she continued caring about them.

She is survived by her husband of 34 years Daniel Frederick and her daughters Lauren Frederick and Kaitlin Frederick as well her older brother Joseph LaBrie (Sean McNaughton) and younger siblings John LaBrie (Don Montgomery), Elizabeth (LaBrie) Billington (Danny LoPriore) and James LaBrie. She also leaves behind her beloved grandpup, Milo. Our hearts are broken now, but we take solace in knowing she is finally at peace. We imagine her eating gelato and singing Whitney Houston songs in Heaven. She will always be in our hearts and her loving memory will be cherished forever.

A Mass of the Resurrection will be celebrated for Mary on Monday June 20 at 11 A.M. at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Renton, followed by a luncheon and celebration of life. In lieu of flowers, the family request memorials be sent to the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund. Alzheimer’s is a devastating disease and there is currently no cure. We desperately need more research and we hope that our experience with the disease can help ease the journey for others. To make a donation, please visit Mary’s everloved website here under the “Give” tab.