Katherine Reynolds

Katherine J. Reynolds was called home to our Lord on January 28, 2025.

She was born on August 26, 1930 in Bellingham, Washington to Joseph and Nina Vitaljic. Both parents immigrated in the 1920s from what once was Yugoslavia; they were from the islands on the Adriatic coast in the region of Croatia. Her father was a fisherman as were many of those that lived on the southside of Bellingham along the Sound.
She learned English when she entered elementary school. After graduating from high school, she worked in San Pedro, California as a secretary for the military.

She met Dwight Reynolds when she moved back to Bellingham, and they danced their way to love at the Coconut Grove. On May 19,1956 they married and remained so for over 60 years.

Katherine at the Villa in Vicenza, Italy

In 1956, they moved to Portland, Oregon where Dwight started his career in education. After two years, Dwight surprised Katherine for her birthday with a one year teaching assignment in Paris. This rolled into over thirty years with the Department of Defense Dependents Schools in France, Italy, and Spain.
Katherine had three children: Tonya, Patrick, and Michael. She also had three grand-children: Christina, Yousef, and Patrick and one great-grandchild, Weston, son of Yousef and Jenny.

Katherine is loved and will be missed by her family. They will especially remember “Nana” for her love of gardening, decorating, and crafting. She also had a love of music including: James Taylor, Julio Iglesias, Edith Piaf, Tim McGraw and others. She loved to play her vinyl loud and in her later years her radio.

Dwight and Katherine, Christmas Eve in Spain

Katherine spoke often of all her travels across Europe during the years they raised their children and then later her visits to England, where her son Patrick, and daughter-in-law Lisa, lived with their two children. She also visited her daughter Tonya, son-in-law Hadi and their son in Algeria. After Dwight retired and they moved to Brier, near Seattle, Washington, there were many camping trips with her children and grandchildren. She made two trips to Mexico and a cruise to Alaska that were always fondly remembered.

Funeral services will be held at St. Pius X Catholic Church in Mountlake Terrace, WA on February 20, 2025, at 11am in a service for immediate family. Katherine’s final resting place will be Lakeview Cemetery overlooking Lake Washington. A Celebration of Life will be held on March 9 for more extended family.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the National Institute of Mental Health (www.nimh.nih.gov)