Lucille Marie (Deschamps) Whittall

Our Wife, our Mom and our Gram was born in Olympia, Washington, on July 9, 1934, to Edouard and Mildred Deschamps. She was the youngest of three children: joining her sister, Lorena, and her brother, Louis. She began her schooling at St. Michael’s in Olympia, and continued at Hoodsport grade school on Hood Canal. She graduated from Shelton High School in 1952, where she was the Homecoming Queen in 1951. She attended Seattle University, then moved to San Francisco. She met Pete Whittall in January of 1952, when they were both seniors in high school and they fell in love. After he returned from overseas and was discharged from the Army, they were married on February 4, 1957. They lived in Tacoma until 1960, when a change of employment caused them to relocate to Springfield and Portland, Oregon, then on to Longview, and eventually to Auburn, Washington, where they remained. Lucille will always be the cherished mother to seven children, a grammy to twenty one, and a great grammy to six. Her children are Jack Whittall, Longview, Geoff Whittall (Julie), Tacoma, Jennifer Whittall-Whale, (Jack Whale), Olympia, Joan Welsh, (Bryan), Enumclaw, Mary Aubert (Curt), Enumclaw, Mike Whittall (Suzanne Broaten), Edgewood, and Avis Denman (Paul), Sammamish.She was a fun loving wife and mom who enjoyed being the mother of 7 children, from the moment each of them was born. She was much loved and admired by all of her childrens’ friends; her kitchen became a regular gathering place for many children, teenagers, and collegians. She loved Hood Canal and would regularly return for summer vacations and weekend excursions. In the 1980’s she and Pete purchased a summer cabin at Tahuya on the Canal, where they spent more and more time.They traveled extensively after the family had grown. They went on world cruises, attended a cooking school in Italy, traveled to England, Ireland and France, cruised around Cape Horn in South America and traveled often to California, Oregon and Arizona to watch the Huskies, and enjoy spring training with the Mariners. Lucille was also a dedicated worker outside the home. She worked on several community and school projects. She was one of the first volunteers at the Community Suppers program in Auburn, and stayed on for many years until her back pain told her it was time to retire. She taught grade schoolers to swim for many years through a program at the local YMCA. She served on the Auburn Chamber of Commerce Awards Committee and as member of the Auburn Cemetery Board for many years. When an extra hand was required at the business she and Pete had started in 1980, she pitched in and got the work done. All her activities were always accomplished with a smile and good feelings for all. She was also a fighter in the toughest battle of life. In 1995, she was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer, but she refused to concede anything to the disease, or to some of the traditional treatments. She managed to avoid the deadly aspects of the disease for nearly 17 years. Last summer she was told that it had spread to her bones. That was in July of 2011, and as she said, she “could not outrun it this time.” She passed away December 13, 2011.Rest in Peace you wonderful Wife, Mom, Gram.A private funeral service was held at St. Barbara’s Catholic Church in Black Diamond for her immediate family, December 19th, with interment at Tahoma National Cemetery, in Kent. There will be a Celebration of her life on December 28th, at the Copper Falls Restaurant at the Auburn Golf Course, for her many friends and associates beginning at 1:00 PM. The family wishes to thank the Hospice team from Multicare, and the oncology staff at Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup, for their professional and loving care of our Wife, Mom and Gram. Those wishing to make donations in Lucille’s memory could do so by contributing to the Pete and Lucille Whittall Scholarship Fund at the University of Puget Sound, Office of Donor Relations, 1500 N. Warner St. #1011, Tacoma, WA 98416-1011 or to the Auburn Food Bank, in care of Monday Night Suppers, 930 18th Place East, Auburn, WA 98002.563778