Obituary

Reta Maxine Kammerzell, of Blaine, Washington, passed away on Friday, February 9, 2018 after being hospitalized with pneumonia. She was born on October 25th, 1935. She was 82 years old.

Maxine was a happy, caring woman loved by everyone she met. She always had kind words to say about everyone and never spoke ill towards others. She wanted her friends and family to get along with each other and have peace and harmony. During her final days, despite being sick, she didn’t complain and said she was comfortable and not in pain. She passed peacefully surrounded by family.

She was a loving wife and mother, who worked hard to provide for her family. She was a long time resident of Ferndale and worked for many years at Petrolane Gas, retired from there and later worked for Propane Gas Ind. She loved to go fishing, crabbing and clam digging with her family, and shared with her husband John a love for gardening, canning food, cooking, and baking apple pies together. She enjoyed arts and crafts, sewing and making quilts for all her grandkids. She and her husband John took numerous adventures and camping trips with their four children around the Pacific Northwest to places like Lummi Island, San Juan Island, Birch Bay, Washington, Oregon and Canada. She and John later traveled as much as possible to places like Alaska, the Caribbean, Hawaii, California, Nevada, and Europe. She loved and cherished spending time with her nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren and always looked forward to special family gatherings. She was active in the Ferndale community, graduated from Ferndale High School and then attended Western Washington University. She was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Bellingham, which her husband John’s grandparents helped found.

Maxine is preceded in death by her husband John Kammerzell of 55 years, her parents, Nathan and Alcina (New) Vroman, and step-mother Frances Vander Yacht Vroman. She will be greatly missed by her children: Jay and wife Diane, Kirk and wife Joan, Kay and husband Arnie Klaus, and Kari and husband Jon Walter; grandchildren, Ryan, Nathan, Trevor, Jeremy, Leif, Kyle, Zack, Jacob, and Stephanie; great-grandchildren, Casy, Chelsy, Maddy, Penelope and Owen. She will also be greatly missed by her two brothers Howard Vroman and wife Mary, Rod Vroman and wife Joan, her dear friend Harvey Bongea, numerous cousins and relatives, and many friends.

The family invites you to celebrate Maxine’s life. There will be Graveside Committal at Woodlawn Cemetery, Ferndale on Friday February 16, at 1:30. A Memorial Service with a reception following will be held on Saturday February 17th at 1:00 at Trinity Lutheran Church, 119 Texas Street, Bellingham. Memorial contributions may be made to the Trinity Lutheran Church of Bellingham or Stafholt Good Samaritan Center in Blaine. You may share your thoughts and memories of Maxine with her family on this page.