Obituary of Evelyn Fennell

Evelyn “Kaye” Fennell, 85, of Yelm, Washington, passed away peacefully in her sleep on April 19, 2023.

She was born to Arthur and Evelyn Campbell, August 16, 1937, in Sunnyside, Washington. While growing up in Eastern Washington, her family lived in various towns, including White Salmon, Yakima, Roslyn, and Cle Elum to name a few. Kaye was the eldest of seven children born to Arthur and Evelyn. Her siblings were Billie, Carolyn, Edward “Eddie,” Doug, and Cynthia “Cindy”. Kaye graduated from Cle Elum High School in 1955. 

In 1955, Kaye caught the eye of a young man named Bute Fennell, who worked for the Milwaukee Railroad. At the time, she was working in her mother’s restaurant called the “Beanery,” located at the South Cle Elum Train Depot. Whenever his train would pull into the depot, he would stop by for a cup of coffee and talk to Kaye. After a short courtship, they ran off to Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho, to elope that same year. They went on to have four children, Bute Jr., Linda, John, and Mike. They lived in the Puyallup and Spanaway area until they bought their small farm in 1967, located in Rainier, Washington. They kept a large garden and livestock along with her father Arthur’s and brother Doug’s thoroughbred horses. They loved road trips, which took them to South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Delaware, and several trips to California. They even drove the Alcan Highway to Anchorage, Alaska. They had been married for 60 years when Bute passed away in 2016. Kaye remained at the family farm for the next few years and sold it in 2019. She moved to a small house outside of Yelm, near her daughter Linda, where she spent most of her days tending to her garden and fishpond, taking walks with Linda and Linda’s dog, Bandit. She enjoyed spending time with family, grandchildren, close friends, Bible study group and her cat, Cricket.

Kaye was preceded in death by her husband, Bute Fennell; her mother, Evelyn Campbell; her father, Arthur Campbell; brothers, David and Eddie Campbell; and sisters, Billie (Campbell) Celli and Carolyn (Campbell) Lucht. She is survived by her children, Bute Fennell Jr., Linda Bell (Tim), John Fennell (Tina), Mike Fennell (Trina); brother, Doug Campbell; sister, Cynthia (Campbell) Mensing; 13 grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren.

Kaye will be remembered as a compassionate, loving, giving and selfless mother, grandmother, wife, sister, aunt, and friend. She showered people with hugs, smiles and a wit that would keep you on your toes. She was deeply loved and will be terribly missed by her family and all who were lucky enough to know her. 

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