Carlene McCarthy

Carlene McCarthy-Smith, loving mother and grandmother, died peacefully March 7, 2010, she was 75.

She was born Carlene Caroline Raben on May 26, 1934 in Clearfield, South Dakota to Carl Raben and Lillian Haag.  Her family migrated west during the dust bowl years and landed in Monroe, Washington.  She graduated from Monroe High School and attended Seattle University for two years.  She moved to Oakland, California and worked for two years before returning to Monroe.

She married Dennis McCarthy in 1958.  They had three children while living in Seattle and then built a home in Maple Valley in 1964 and added four more children to their family.  After 19 happy years of marriage, Dennis died in 1977 leaving Carlene with seven children at home.  She went to work for the Boeing Company and raised her family. After 21 year, she retired from Boeing in 1998.

In 2004 she fell in love with and married long time family acquaintance David Smith, with whom she happily shared the last five years of her life.

Carlene is survived by David Smith of Maple Valley and his extended family. She leaves five daughters and two sons;  Molly (Larry) Hughes of Coupeville, Mary (Kevin) Nelson of North Bend, Ellen (Jeff) Riley of Newcastle, Colene Good of Federal Way, Jennifer (Doug) Skuce of Maple Ridge, BC, Canada, Michael (Eve) McCarthy of Portland, Oregon and Dennis (Carrie) McCarthy of Maple Valley.  She has 23 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.  She is also survived by three sisters and one brother;  Lois Sorenson in Snohomish, Mardella Nelson in Kent, Elaine “Rusty” Simon in Sultan and Ron Raben in Olympia and proceeded in death by her sister Billie Manning.

A funeral mass was held on March 11 at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Covington.  Remembrances can be made to Evergreen Hospice, c/ o Evergreen Health Care Foundation, 12040 NE 128th Street MS #5, Kirkland, WA 98034.