Mary Leota (Kennedy) Hatfield

ILWACO – Longtime Seaview resident Mary K. Hatfield, 97, died Sept. 6, 2005, in Ilwaco. The daughter of Charles and Myrtle (Withrow) Kennedy, she was born Jan. 21, 1908, in Schell City, Mo. As a young girl, she lived with her family in small towns throughout Missouri and Montana before moving to Idaho in 1921. At the age of 16, she graduated from high school in Nampa, Idaho and went to work while the rest of the family moved to California.

It was in Nampa, Idaho that she met Virgil (Jimmy) Hatfield and they married Oct. 15, 1927. After living many places in the Northwest, including many years in Boise, Idaho, they retired to Seaview in 1970.

After her husband’s death in 1975, she continued to live in Seaview. Then in the late 1980s, she married Jerry Aver of Denver, Colo., and they split their time between Seaview and Denver until his death in 1995.

Mrs. Hatfield was a wife, mother and homemaker throughout her long life. She was an accomplished watercolor and oil painter and was one of the founders of Gallery 7 in Long Beach. She was also an avid gardener and reader, who was proud of her Irish ancestry and was thrilled to have made a trip to Ireland with Mr. Aver.

Above all, she was the hub and strength of her extended family. Her unique insight, dry sense of humor, empathy and words of encouragement and wisdom were always there for the family she dearly loved. The one constant in their lives was knowing she would welcome them with open arms, hot coffee and a restful night in her art studio’s loft.

Survivors include her son, V. Michael Hatfield of Oracle, Ariz., daughter Jane Hatfield of Seattle; grandchildren, Kathi Schuft of Newport, Ore., Nancy Olmos of Rhododendron, Ore., David Kohls of Clackamas, Ore., Mary Hinegardner of Abingdon, Md., Michael Hatfield of Cordova, Ill., Laurie Hatfield of Kiezer, Ore., Bob Hatfield of Boise, Idaho, and Karena Hatfield-Grytting of Seattle; and numerous great and great-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her sister, Betty Morehouse, brothers, Paul, Wesley and George Kennedy; daughter Sharon Kohls; and grandson Danny Kohls.

A graveside gathering of family and friends will be at 1 p.m., Monday, Sept. 19 at Mountain View Cemetery in Walla Walla. An Irish wake will be held at 1 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 25 at her Seaview residence.

Memorial contributions may be made to the South Pacific County Humane Society, P.O. Box 101, Long Beach, WA 98631.

Arrangements by Penttila’s Chapel by The Sea, Long Beach.