Martha Ann Mitchell Kutz

Martha Kutz

Martha Ann Mitchell Kutz, aged 76 of Sedro Woolley, Washington, passed away on March 24, 2018 at University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle.

Marty, as she preferred to be called, was born in August of 1941 in Seward, Alaska, the daughter of Roy C. Mitchell and Alice L. (Harvey) Mitchell. She grew up in Hope, Alaska, a very small town on the Kenai Peninsula. At the age of 18, Marty moved to Everett, Washington by herself to attend Everett General Hospital’s School of Nursing where she graduated as a registered nurse. Marty was introduced to her husband Joseph Kutz by one of her friends from nurses’ training and in August of 1964 they were married and they celebrated their marriage for over 53 years. Marty worked for several hospitals and clinics during her nursing career and retired from nursing at United General Hospital in Sedro Woolley in 1990. She touched many people’s lives throughout her nursing career.

Marty and Joe enjoyed camping and traveled over a good portion of the United States with their pop-up camper, including a trip to her hometown in Alaska as well as to both North Dakota and Pennsylvania where Joe’s family had lived while he was growing up. One of her favorite places to visit was the Southwest. She fell in love with the landscape and colors of the Southwest and visited that area many times. They also had the opportunity to travel to China, Taiwan and Hong Kong at one time in their lives, which had been a long time dream of Marty’s.

Marty’s love of quilting led her to a new career teaching quilting classes and she taught for many years in Skagit and Whatcom counties. She even taught classes to her fellow nurses at United General Hospital. She made countless friends and inspired many students through her quilting and will be missed very much by her quilting community. Not only did she make many quilts for all of her loved ones, but also made numerous quilts over the years for Project Linus, an organization that provides handmade blankets to children who are seriously ill or traumatized.

In 2009, Marty started experiencing health issues. She was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disorder that required significant lifestyle changes. As time passed, she found herself suffering from the side effects of the drugs that she needed to take to keep her autoimmune disease from progressing. She eventually had to undergo two separate leg amputations below the knee as well as other health issues. With the help of Joe and her sheer determination, she learned how to get around with prosthetic legs and her wheelchair. She also figured out how to use her sewing machine pedal with her prosthetic foot and continued to quilt. As if that wasn’t enough, she and Joe continued to go camping! It was only after her second leg amputation that her daughters were finally able to talk her into getting a disabled parking permit. Many people told her how inspiring she was, but she didn’t really like to think that way about herself. She said she didn’t have any other choice but to adapt if she was to go on living her life. And, she did continue to live her life with faith, grace and a wonderful sense of humor. She continued to sing in the church choir, visited family and friends and stayed active with her quilting group. Just a few weeks before her death, she attended a reunion with others from her nursing school class.

Marty is survived by her husband Joe Kutz, her daughters Kris and Patty, her son-in-law Rich and her grandchildren Justin, Joel and his wife Jennifer, Richie, Mitchell, Jayden, her “borrowed” granddaughter Erica and her husband Christian and son Gabe as well as many other family and friends.

Marty has left us the legacy of her love and perseverance and the ways that she has touched our lives will always remain with us. And in a very tangible way, she continues to wrap us in her love with the quilts she has made.