Myrna Jean Kinzley, wife of the late Harland B. Kinzley, died Sept. 16, 2010 at Swedish Hospital Cherry Hill Campus, following a brief illness.
Born in Blue Island, Ill. on July 28, 1939 to Frances and Wilson Perryman, she married Harland on March 11, 1983, and moved from the North Chicago area to Cleveland, Ohio where she worked as an insurance underwriter for Royal Insurance.
After they retired, the Kinzleys moved first to Useless Bay, then to Langley.
Still having a strong urge to work, Myrna earned her real estate license, later working at Tara Properties in Freeland where she made many lifelong friends from her associates and customers.
Longtime members of the Useless Bay Golf & Country Club, Myrna and Harland could often be seen playing late in the evening on the three holes near their Soundview Drive house, having dinner with friends and golfers at the club, or chatting with their neighbors.
Myrna was involved in several community and philanthropic activities including being a past matron of the Order of Eastern Star, a member of Hatasu Temple No. 1 of the Daughters of the Nile, served as a volunteer at Whidbey General Hospital where Harland was a longtime hospital foundation member, and was a member of the Red Hat Society.
While Myrna was proud of her work and community service, she expressed her deep pride in the successes of her children and grandchildren.
Myrna is survived by her children Jane (Frank) Jacobson of Freeland, Jeff (Pam) Redding of Bourbonnais, Ill., Jill Shields of Tampa, Fla., Bill Kinzley of Makati City, Philippines, Joan (Jeff) Hatfield of Newcastle, Wash. and Barbara Carlin of Oak Harbor. Grandchildren and great-grandchildren include Sarah and Erin Shields, Stephanie (Holton) Jacobson-Widhalm and their daughter Chloe, Jason Jacobson, Kathy (Frank) Mullens and their children Erin, Natalie and Andrew, James Day and his daughter Kayley, Laura Day and Debra Kinzley. Also left behind is Myrna’s longtime buddy Charles II, also known as Charlie, her Cairn Terrier who was notorious for chasing birds off of her lawn.
In accordance with her desires, Myrna is being interred alongside Harland. There will be no memorial service and interment will be private.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Heart Association (800-562-6718), The North Puget Sound Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation, 809 East Chestnut St., Bellingham, WA 98225, or the Whidbey General Hospital Foundation Endowment Fund, PO Box 641, Coupeville, WA 98239.
