Katherine ‘Kitty’ Hildebrand
Published January 13, 2005
Katherine ‘Kitty’ Hildebrand, 66, died Jan. 13, surrounded by her children after a long battle with lung disease.
She was the first child born to Dr. Robert and Katherine Mullarky of Seattle. She was raised in the Mt. Baker area of Seattle and graduated high school from the Bush School in 1956.
After high school, the former Seattle debutante moved to Oakland, Calif., and attended Mills College. There, she met and married Dr. Byron Hildebrand of Oakland.
The couple had three children. After her husband’s death in 1972, she returned to the Northwest and settled on Bainbridge Island in 1977.
She worked for Farmer’s Insurance and the optometry office of Dr. George Neishem. She then went to work at the M.L. Mallard yarn shop, developing her already outstanding knitting and needlework skills. Her works were recognized by numerous organizations, with one of her pieces being chosen for the White House Christmas tree.
She enjoyed the friends that stitching brought her, from Bainbridge to Greenbrier. She also loved to travel, create meals, peruse mail order catalogs and do crossword puzzles. She enjoyed looking out at the water from her Eagle Harbor home, and watching her grandchildren play on the beach.
She is survived by her children, Kass (Mike) Klemz of Lynnwood, Heidi (Mark Hannon) of Bainbridge Island and Robert (Jaime) of Pleasanton, Calif.; brother Pat (Milly) Mullarky of Kirkland; sister Macy (Dick Ackerly) Mullarky of Seattle; and her five grandchildren: Katie and Mike Klemz, Nickolas Hannon, and Madison and Mia Hildebrand.
She was preceded in death by her husband, and her sister Susan Mullarky of Tucson, Ariz.
The family thanked Dr. George Pappas and staff at Swedish Medical Center, who provided care and comfort during her illness, and other caretakers.
A celebration of life will be held at 1 p.m. Jan. 22 at the Bainbridge Commons. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the American Lung Association, 61 Broadway, New York, NY 10006, or the Bainbridge Foundation, www.bainbridgefoundation.org.