Willene Racle
Willene Racle

Obituary of Willene Dawson Racle

Following a protracted illness, Willene succumbed to pulmonary arterial hypertension at 11:38 p.m. on July 30, 2013. Willene was born to Robert and Maxine Dawson on July 13, 1943 in Medford, Oregon. She grew up in the Ashland and Medford areas of Oregon until age 16 when the family moved to Kennewick, Washington, where she completed her high school education. Upon graduation, she started her career as a clerk typist for the State of Washington. Willene continued her career with the state as a Quality Control Auditor. While working as an auditor, she met Jim Racle and they subsequently married on April 29, 1989. Willene retired from the Olympia office of DSHS after 31 years of service, and looked forward to being a homemaker. It didn’t take her too long to realize that she missed the people contact that her job had afforded her. She returned to work on a part-time basis as a Test Proctor for Language Interpreter Services of DSHS. She figured that she would try it for a while and, 19 years later, she was forced to resign from the job that she truly loved due to failing health. Willene was a devoted sister, wife, mother and grandmother. She put her energy into raising her daughter, Teresa Michelle. True joy came when Teresa Michelle married David Smith in 1990. There was absolutely no doubt that Willene was the proud Mama. Michelle graced her mother’s life with three grandchildren, Caleb, Noah and Claire. Willene loved her grandchildren dearly and always looked for ways to do special things for them. Willene openly expressed her love for the special people in her life through the gifts she gave, which were always exquisitely wrapped, and you could be certain that Willene would send a card for all occasions, even ones that you didn’t know that they made cards for. In addition to her devotion to family, Willene loved to read, often devouring a book in a day. She also loved to travel with trips to Canada, Mexico and finally Florence, Italy, where she was able to celebrate her 23rd wedding anniversary. Never in her wildest dreams did she think she would see Italy. When not traveling, Willene enjoyed her flower gardens and her numerous bird feeders. She was particularly fond of her lavender garden, which she added to following each trip to the Sequim Lavender Festival. Willene is survived by her husband, Jim; daughter, Teresa Michelle Smith (David); stepson, Jim S. Racle (Debra); stepdaughter, Karen Racle; grandchildren, Caleb, Noah and Claire Smith, and Matthew and Christopher Racle; brothers, Robert Dawson (April) and John Dawson (Jennifer); sisters, Connie Stecker, Lonna Gargus (Doug), Donna Brown (Charlie) and Sue Deusner (Carl); and nine nephews and nieces. She was predeceased by her parents; brother-in-law, Steve Stecker; and niece, Sara Pruitt. She will be greatly missed! Please leave memories of Willene or condolences for her family in the Guestbook below.
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