Kathleen Jean Gibson

Kathleen (Brodahl) (Kanarr) (Klemann) Gibson April 7, 1927 -- August 28, 2020 Kathleen Jean Brodahl was born in Custer, Washington, on April 7, 1927, to Fridtjof and Augusta Brodahl. Together with her older brothers Herbert and Kenneth, she was raised on the family farm near Custer. She attended a one-room schoolhouse through seventh grade before attending high school in Ferndale. After graduation, she attended Western Washington College of Education (which later became Western Washington University) in Bellingham. Kathleen graduated from Western with a BA in mathematics. At Western, she met John E. Kanarr, whom she married on August 22, 1948. They settled in Port Townsend the following year when John began his career as a schoolteacher. Kathy and John had five children: Mark, Janet, Fred, Ken, and Julie. Following John’s death in 1975, Kathy married Ben Klemann in 1978. Following Ben’s death in 1988, she married Wells (Gib) Gibson in 1992. Her daughter Julie, a Lutheran pastor, officiated at their wedding. Kathy was widowed for a third time when Gib died in 2004. Kathy died peacefully in Sequim on August 28, 2020, following a brief illness within a longer journey into dementia. In addition to her husbands, she is preceded in death by her brothers and her eldest son Mark. Kathy is survived by her children Janet (Tom) Morello; Fred (Karrie) Kanarr; Ken Kanarr (Gretchen Svendsen), and the Rev. Julie A. Kanarr. She is also survived by her grandchildren: Mark’s daughter Allison Kanarr Courtney; Janet’s sons Nathan Morello and Joseph Morello; and Ken’s children Matthew Kanarr, Martin Kanarr, and Miranda Kanarr, along with their mother, Benita Kanarr. Also surviving are eleven great grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews. Kathy enjoyed tasks that called for precision and meticulous attention to detail. Until the mid-70’s she retouched photos for Redding’s Studio and Camera. An excellent seamstress, she did custom sewing, tailoring, and repairs. She made many of her own clothes, including coats and jackets, as well as clothing for her family, and liturgical vestments and paraments for her church. She even sewed a sleeping bag, backpacks, bicycle panniers, and a sail--all from kits--but drew the line at the idea of sewing a tent. She taught adult education classes in sewing and judged the sewing exhibits at the Jefferson County Fair. Kathy was also a very social person who tended to become interested in whatever organizations her friends were involved in, leading to her participation in many different groups and activities over the years. Kathy particularly enjoyed doing crosswords, sudoku, word search, and jigsaw puzzles. Kathy loved to drive. She enjoyed having picnic lunches in her car while parked overlooking the water at Point Hudson, the Port Townsend Boat Haven, or while going on “a little outing,” looking for roads she hadn’t driven on yet, stopping for picnics at Ft. Flagler, or Port Williams County Park in Sequim. She kept meticulous records, including details about every tank of gas she bought, writing down the location, cost, and odometer mileage in a little notebook. She and her husband Gib traveled extensively. The winter after they married, they took a trip to Mexico, together with several members of Kathy’s family. Later, they visited Norway, where Kathy saw the town where her father had been born and met some distant relatives. They also went on a tour of religious and cultural sites in Turkey. During one of their many trips to Alaska, they flew up to Tuktoyaktuk in the Northwest Territories to see the Arctic Ocean. Kathy spoke about that trip for years afterwards. She took delight in being able to say “Tuktoyaktuk” without stumbling over the pronunciation. She and Gib also made annual road trips to California to visit Gib’s friends and attend the Sacramento Jazz Festival with them. Kathy did all of the driving, including when they drove in their RV all the way around the United States (traveling clockwise), visiting all four “corners” of the country before returning home. She lamented needing to give up the keys to her car (a few months prior to her 89th birthday), even though she also recognized that it was time. Still, she often said that she “missed driving” and was delighted when anyone would take her for a ride in a car. Her last car ride occurred on July 9 when she moved into Gracelaine Assisted Living Residence in Sequim for what turned out to be the final seven weeks of her life. A life-long Lutheran, Kathy was an active member of Grace Lutheran Church, having joined the congregation upon moving to Port Townsend in 1949. She was deeply involved in the congregation. She was a member of the altar guild and participated in the quilting group, where she was known for ironing with precision. She was also active in the women’s organization and attended Bible studies and book discussion groups. She often served on the church council and as treasurer of the women’s organization. She frequently served as an usher or greeter and enjoyed welcoming visitors to the congregation. In the years following Gib’s death, Kathy found occasion to be at the church nearly every day of the week, and was usually the first one to arrive on Sunday morning, even before the pastor. Kathy’s ashes will be placed in the Grace Lutheran Church Columbarium during a service on September 12 at 10:00 a.m. Due to Covid-19, in-person attendance is limited to immediate family members. This service will be livestreamed. Information for online viewing will be provided through Grace Lutheran Church (www.gracelutheranpt.org) and is also available from members of the immediate family. There will also be a Celebration of Life scheduled at a later time. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that memorials be given to Grace Lutheran Church, 1120 Walker Street, Port Townsend, WA 98368.