Obituary of Barbara L. Klimek

Barbara Louise Klimek Barbara Louise Klimek, beloved wife and mother, born February 12, 1926, died on April 27, 2008 at the age of 82. Barbara was beautiful, intelligent, funny, a wonderful mother and a great cook. She loved good movies and organic gardening, and every summer did tons of canning. Everyone remembers, and still pines away, for her dilly beans, Czech pickles (even though she was Irish), cinnamon pears, stewed tomatoes, hot pickled peppers and peaches. Words to describe her: delightful, thoughtful, kind, accepting and somewhat of a “worry wart”. Her children describe her as a great mom and she got a big kick out of the nickname “The Mother.” She had a great sense of humor. Kidding around about her particular “isms” was a source of fun for her and she could always heartily laugh. She was patient and kind and just wanted everyone to get along. She always was able to see both sides of an issue, often able to moderate two opposing positions to help ensure a resolve. Her daughters believe this is one of the gifts she gave to them and they hope to honor her by practicing loving-kindness and compassion. Her greatest joy came from being with her family. When asked what she’d do in retirement, she always said she just wanted to “hang with her kids.” Her love was the glue that held her family together. As a result, all the siblings are very close. Born in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Barbara married Richard Dougherty in 1943 and had one son, James. After her divorce she and her son Jim moved to Denver where she met and married the late Frank Klimek in 1952. They moved to Seattle in 1954, but only after the ill-fated attempt to homestead in Alaska, which resulted in being stranded in Blueberry, British Columbia where their son David was born. While living in Seattle, her four remaining children - Jeff, Madelynn, Milla and Vanessa - were born. In 1966, Frank & Barbara moved the clan to Kent, Washington and in 1998, they moved to Olympia where they lived out their lives. While Barbara was a homemaker most of her life, in her youth she worked at Yuen Lui Studios where she painted photos. Her son, Jeff, always felt she had a gift for the fine arts. After raising her children she returned to work in 1972 working as a medical transcriptionist at Valley General Hospital where she retired in 1987 (her kids are a little fuzzy about the dates on this one). She is survived by her six children, James Richard Dougherty and his wife Nancy Anne, David Gregory Klimek, Jeffrey Eldon Klimek, Madelynn Ludmilla Klimkova, Jarmilla Yonnia Klimkova, and Vanessa Stephanie Klimek. She also had six grandchildren, Shane Richard Dougherty, Lisa Marie Dougherty, Michael James Dougherty, Christy Louise Vidas, James Richard Dougherty Jr., and Danielle Alyce DeLuca and six great-grandchildren, Tiffany Dougherty, Erica Colleen Dougherty, Alexander James Dougherty, Jordan Dean Dougherty, Caleb James Vidas, Josephine Alexandria DeLuca and Maximillian Gregory DeLuca. She will be missed. Our hearts are broken. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: Providence SoundHomeCare and Hospice PO Box 5008 Lacey, Washington 98509 The family wishes to gratefully acknowledge Linda, Jerah, Peggy, Sandy, Candice & Doila and all those who cared for our parents. To leave condolences for Frank Klimek, go to his name on the Obituary page on this website