Kathryn “Kay” Bergman Mattson | PASSAGES
Published 11:10 am Sunday, January 17, 2016
Kay Mattson, a resident of Bainbridge Island and beloved wife, mother and grandmother, passed away at age 88 at Harrison Medical Center in East Bremerton on Jan. 8, 2016.
She is survived by her husband of 66 years, Vincent Mattson; children Peter (Belkis) Mattson of London, United Kingdom; Randi Mattson of Lynnwood; Cindy (Ron) DeShields of Olympia; and Philip Mattson of Bothell; also grandchildren Gregory (Rebecca) Mattson and Whitney DeShields.
Kay was born in Seattle on Oct. 21, 1927 to Odin and Ragna Bergman.
She graduated from Ballard High School with the Class of 1945 and then enrolled in the nursing program of Swedish Hospital/University of Washington, graduating in 1949. She worked in the Olympia area as a school nurse and as a registered nurse in a hospital and a convalescent center.
Kay met her future husband, Vince, at a Lutheran Student Association get-together while both were attending the University of Washington. After graduating in 1949, they were married in Seattle and then moved to Vancouver, Washington in 1950 where Vince began an engineering career with the Washington State Department of Highways.
The family expanded to six with the birth of their four children and Kay proved to be a wonderful and loving mother. In 1960, the family moved to the Olympia area when Vince was transferred. Sixteen years later, both Kay and Vince retired, and in 1977 they moved to Bainbridge Island to take up residence in a house her paternal grandfather had built.
Kay loved to travel, and, with Vince as a willing companion, she managed to visit all 50 states, including a cross-country trip pulling a travel trailer in 1965, one of 14 trips to the East Coast by car or by air. She also visited Europe three times and South America once. The capper of her travels was an 80-day around-the-world trip in 1979, which involved many stops along the way.
Kay was a lifelong member of the Lutheran Church and participated for many years as a choir member and as an organist. Her faith was very strong and very evident by the life she lived and by her many friendships through the years.
A memorial service will be held at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 30 at Bethany Lutheran Church (7968 Finch Road NE), followed by refreshments.
Memorial gifts may be made to Bethany Lutheran Church or to Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (1100 Fairview Ave. North, J5-200, Seattle, WA 98109).
