Carol M. Kalb

Carol M. Kalb passed away Dec. 1, 2005 in Vancouver, Wash. at age 90.

She was born to Arvada May Monahan and Henry Zaffke, Dec. 25, 1914 in Butte, Mont.

She attended Whitehall High School and the University of Montana.

When she moved to Seattle in 1937, she met her husband of 53 years, Richard Kalb.

When he retired as an engineer from the Merchant Marine, the couple moved from Everett, where they had lived since 1945, to Whidbey Island. Kalb died in 1991 and Carol moved to Vancouver six years later.

Carol was a lifelong homemaker and a maker of superlative pies. Also, during her husband’s frequent absences at sea, she assumed the role of painter, electrician, plumber, gardener and whatever else needed fixing.

She worked as a bookkeeper both professionally and as a volunteer for many church groups with whom she was affiliated.

In her 70s she earned a certificate as a professional parliamentarian, an accomplishment of which she was especially proud.

She is survived by two daughters, Nancy Ries-VanDerford (Jeff VanDerford) of Greenbank; Bonnie K. Long (Gale Long) of Vancouver; three grandchildren, Rev. James C. Ries, pastor of Saint Mary’s Catholic Church, Fullerton, Calif., Rhonda M. Ries-Shumaker, Wakefield, R.I., Jonathan R. Ries and daughter-in-law Mary Ann Gallagher-Ries, Oakland, Calif.; two great-grandchildren, Ruby and Emmett Shumaker, Wakefield, R.I.; and two step-grandsons, Aaron Long, Orlando, Fla. and Cameron Long, Vancouver.

The funeral mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m., Friday, Dec. 9 by her grandson, Rev. James C. Ries at St Joseph’s Catholic Church in Vancouver.

A graveside memorial service at the Langley cemetery on Whidbey Island will be held in the spring, conducted by St. Hubert Catholic Church, where Carol was a parishioner for 30 years.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests any donations be sent to the ACCW Seminarian Aid program, care of: Luci Diaz, ACCW Treasurer, 1326 West Mount Drive, Fircrest, WA 98466 or the Pacific Northwest Chapter of the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation, P.O. Box 58785, Renton, WA 98058.