Obituary of Therese Marie Barkus

Therese Marie Barkus, 67, passed away of cardiac arrest on February 12, 2021, in Olympia, Washington.  She was born March 24, 1953, to Eugene Val Adams and Alice Frances (Furlong) Adams. She resided in Olympia’s Boston Harbor for 42 years.

 

When she was young, Therese was in 4-H, and babysat to earn money to buy a horse named Windy.  In 1971, she graduated from Olympia High School.  She married and later divorced Ray Barkus.  Professionally, she worked for the State of Washington as a fiscal tech.  Family and friends celebrated her retirement in 2018.

 

Therese loved working in the yard, digging holes for new plants.  She knew the name of every perennial she planted.  Growing beautiful flowers was a continual challenge because the goats she raised would get loose and eat all of her flowers!

 

Therese loved making cookies and fudge for the holidays.  She loved going to estate sales and garage sales every weekend.  She was an animal lover; she especially loved her birds, Cee Cee and Romeo; her cat, Matt; and dog, Daisy.  She also enjoyed feeding the squirrels. She rescued injured animals, including two llamas.  She always wore funny T-shirts with sayings; her favorite line was “Bite Me!”

 

Therese was selfless; she would go out of her way to make someone’s day better.  She was a straight shooter and always spoke what was on her mind.  She could be very blunt and was a bit of a smart ass.  She had an amazing sense of humor.

 

She is survived by her son, Rodger Chevy Barkus; daughter, Angela Michelle Barkus; brothers, Tim Adams and Kevin Adams; former husband, Raymond Barkus; and many of her beloved fur grandkids.  She was predeceased by her mother, Alice Adams (October 4, 2016); father, Eugene Adams; and brothers, Dennis Adams, Roger Adams, and Michael Adams.

 

Memorial donations may be made to any animal rescue or wildlife rehab organization.

 

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