Obituary of Nila Ingrid (Knack) Aamoth

Nila Ingrid (Knack) Aamoth, born August 28, 1942, in West Branch, Michigan, passed away December 9, 2023, in Hoodsport, Washington.

 

The daughter of Lee Edward and Dorothy Daisy Knack, her unconventional childhood involved numerous moves cross country, graduating high school in Oak Harbor, Washington, where she met Arthur Allen Aamoth. They married in 1960 in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. 

 

Nila’s life resume would be at least 20 pages long, not even close to the full story of who she was. Family members have supplied key words to attempt to encapsulate her essence. It is a thesaurus of a strong, determined, intelligent woman who touched many lives, deeply protective of her tribe, wickedly funny, and easily the smartest person in most rooms. 

 

Savvy and smart in a time when it wasn’t socially acceptable, her beauty and ability to impart knowledge with grace allowed her to push open doors and smile at the person holding it for her.

 

Nila was a talented wordsmith, a skill she honed at an early age, always able to instantly read her audience and weave the tale.

 

In November 1977, Ron Carlson and Nila Aamoth wed in a family ceremony at the Mill Pond. There are a couple of versions on how that transpired; they involved hand stitched dresses, a small home that eventually morphed into a lovely spread that hosted many weddings, and a tight coven of women inspecting her groom. Ron charmed them all.

 

At that moment, we became a party of seven. Our blended family grew up in a house of love, word games, movie nights, humor and strength--an incredible gift.

 

Nila and Ron worked hard together on their shared goals, running corporate communications out of the basement, deliveries out of the back of a van, starting a newspaper, buying a hundred plus year-old local newspaper. Many incarnations, every single one powered by skill and her ability to anticipate changes on the horizon. Nila and Ron carefully stewarded the community responsibility of the Penasee Press, the Wayland Globe, the Orbit, which later merged into the Penasee Globe for 30 years.

 

Nila was a self-taught forerunner in digital media, not the norm at the time, and taught others how to do it. She saw the future.

 

As a newspaper reporter, writer, editor, and publisher, she was extremely careful about how the story was presented, concentrating on accuracy and facts that advanced the story; everything else was fluff and didn’t belong there.

 

Personal stories, editorials, and her syndicated column “A Nickel’s Worth” were an entirely different animal. Poetic license was freely applied. The storytelling got richer and more full-bodied like fine wine, especially after a lush dinner party and a starry night.

 

Nila loved good food and good company. She could throw down an amazing meal, whether it was carefully planned out or random ingredients from the Narnian pantry and freezer. She delighted in dinner parties and would never admit that accolades made her glow; they did. She secretly hoarded cookbooks, edited a few, and had a successful catering business, Three Graces.

 

Nila loved numerous things, had many diverse talents, and too many skills to list. The best source of pride was her family, always the family.

 

Our tribe grew and expanded, treasured grandchildren entered the scene, and Nila reveled in the opportunity to teach pottery, artwork, cooking, storytelling, photography, astronomy, a billion other things. She treated them to theatre, music, always the best seat available, because that’s what you do if you can.

 

We will carry your stories as best we can; there are hundreds of photos as proof. Poetic license may come into play. You taught us well, and we will smile.

 

Sit back with your Mom, Dot (Dorothy) and Scott and congratulate each other on the fine job you did.

 

Nila will be sadly missed by: 

--Mandy and Allen Hallengren, Parker and Griffin

--Gregg Aamoth and Tara Kelly, Karl, Alex and Victoria, Ray and Sam

--Barb and Bill Clock, Caitlyn, Hayley and JR

--Erick and Meeta Gulati-Carlson, Kayla, Gunnar, Param, Freyja and Ronish

 

She also is survived by her sisters, Dree Miller, Kara Knack and Kella Knack.  She was preceded in death by her son, Scott Bryan Aamoth; and her brother, David Adkins,

 

In lieu of flowers, any memorial donations may be directed to the Karen Hilburn Cancer Fund, http://www.karenhilburncancerfund.org based in Mason County, Washington, and a source of great ease on this difficult journey. If you would like to leave a note, Nila was the keynote speaker at their annual fundraiser and was appreciative of the ovation; it was a well-articulated speech.

 

Puget Sound Hospice was absolutely wonderful. Hospice is an incredible resource; they step in and do whatever needed to make this stuff easier. It isn’t easy; the ability to provide care and comfort is an amazing gift. If you wish, a donation to your local Hospice with a smile her way is appreciated.

 

Please leave condolences or share memories and photos on the Tribute Wall to the left.