Margaret Vivian Razey was born April 19, 1923 in Portland, Oregon. Francis (Frank) and Vivian Mullins adopted and raised her as their own. She passed away a the age of 95 on her birthday, in the home built for her by her husband and sons on the family farm, surrounded by her family, having been cared for by her family for the last 6 years the way she had cared for them.
Margaret grew up in Yakima, Washington. During the depression she lived in apartments in the Washington Hotel owned by her family, surrounded by family also living in the hotel, on the northwest corner of Yakima Ave. and First Street. She recalled hanging laundry on the roof where the smoke from the nearby steam locomotives would soil their clothes.
Margaret was proud of her 16 years of Catholic schooling where she acquired her lifelong love of music, and became an accomplished pianist, having begun playing the piano in second grade. She often played the pump organ at St. Paul’s Church for mass.
After graduation from St. Joseph’s Academy, where she excelled at typing, she was asked to be a typist in the record room at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, a job that she really loved. In the fall of 1941 she became an Army cadet nurse at the St. Elizabeth nursing school in Yakima. While in training she gave the first shot of penicillin in Yakima County, marking the beginning of a new era in medicine.
Deciding to become a teacher, she enrolled in Tacoma Catholic College for the 1944 school year, where she was the editor of the student paper, TAC. After a year she joined her cousins at Holy Names College in Spokane.
At Holy Names she was president of the sports club, and the press club, and was on the archery team. As president of the press club she interviewed General Wainwright, the commander of Corregidor. She was very nervous until she found out he was deaf from artillery.
Upon graduation with a minor in PE she took a job teaching 4th grade in Chelan. After 3 years she moved home to help her aging parents and taught at Sunset School in Selah. This is where she met and married her husband Daniel Alexander Razey.
In 1958 the family moved to the remote busted boom town of Coulee City at the bottom of the Grand Coulee, the grand canyon of Washington state, where Dan worked for the Soil Conservation Service and they raised their sons.
In about 1980 her sons, with their dad, built their home on the Razey family farm in Naches, Washington. When Dan suffered a stroke, Margaret and her son Bill spent the next 15 years taking care of him before his death at 98 years of age in the house he built.
In 2012 as Margaret was declining Bill moved in staying with her nights in case of a fall, then gradually transitioned to 24 hour care, with the help of Mary Kay, and Francis all being her caregivers.
The themes in Grandma’s life were taking care of children, family, music, and her love of animals.
Margaret loved attending church at St. John’s in Naches, where she felt the glowing love and acceptance of this special community. Her life was richer and longer because of the love she received from the people of St. John’s Church. After mass she always said she couldn’t believe how nice they all are. Even when she could barely move, on Sundays she found the energy to get up early, get dressed and miraculously be seated in the front room ready to go.
Margaret is survived by children Bill, Jim, Tom, and Gail, grandchildren Francis, Jenny, Sarah, Rebecca, Megan, Peter, Lucey and Blair, and Chassity, several great grandchildren, and also sister-in-law Arlie Razey who called every day to check on Margaret and her children, niece Robbin Simmons who brought food to Margaret, and nephew Butch Razey.
We would like to thank the sweetest community of St. John’s Church that gave her so much happiness, Virginia Mason Memorial Compasscare cardiac nurse Michelle Huber, for her monthly visit, and Doctor Bauer.
Memorial service will be at 10 AM on Saturday, April 28, 2018 at St. John’s Catholic Church, 206 Moxee Ave., Naches, Washington, with reception following. In lieu of flowers a donation in her honor can be made to the St. John’s Catholic Church, PO Box 128, Naches, WA 98937, or the Naches Firemen’s Association, PO Box 911, Naches, WA 98937.