Obituary

Colleen Dolores Koplowitz, age 83, passed peacefully on Friday, Feb. 22 at Silverado Memory Care Community in Bellingham, Wa. surrounded by family.

Born on Nov. 26, 1935 in Mission, B.C. to Arthur and Cora Borde, Colleen leaves behind her son Joseph Borde of Bali, Indonesia, daughter Maria and son-in-law Garry Koplowitz-Fleming of Bellingham, her grandchildren Dante, Dashiell and Lily, her brother Ray Borde and his wife Wendy, her nieces and nephews Paige, Beth, Jill (Muir) Jeremy and Joshua Borde. Colleen was preceded in death by her husband Charles “Bud” Koplowitz, her son Kurt and her parents.

In her youth, Colleen developed a lifelong love for animals by spending time on her grandparents’ farm outside of Mission. In high school, she taught tap dance wherein she developed what would become a passion for dance that never left her. She graduated from Mission High School in 1953 and moved to Bellingham with her family later that year to begin the next chapter in her life.

After moving to Bellingham, Colleen worked in the law office of John Slater until she met her soulmate Bud at the Bellingham Yacht Club. In the fall of 1957 Colleen and Bud were married in the Crystal Ballroom of the Leopold Hotel.

Family was paramount in Colleen’s life, and she served as a mother, grandmother and friend to her loved ones. She was also generous in her charitable endeavors and gave freely to those in need.

Colleen lived in Bellingham until 1989, when she moved to Birch Bay and fulfilled her lifelong dream of living on the ocean.

It is truly impossible to describe her without using the word elegant, as she was just that throughout her life. Her wit and sense of humor were shared with many as she was an active member of the Beth Israel congregation and sisterhood, Hadassah, Phi Beta Sigma, Bellingham Yacht Club, Wheel and Keel, Bellingham Elks Lodge #194, Bellingham Golf & Country Club and was active in local politics.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Colleen’s memory can be made to the Children’s Hospital Seattle Foundation, Animals as Natural Therapy or Peacehealth Hospice.