Helen Martha Eighme Dufur

Helen Martha Eighme Dufur passed away gently of natural causes on October 2, 2015, at the Providence Marianwood convalescent center in Issaquah, Washington. She was 81.

Helen was born in Granite Falls, WA on May 27, 1934. She was the mother of three girls, and teacher to hundreds of high school and elementary age students. After her children were school age, she went back to college and finished a degree in Elementary Education and Home Economics. She began teaching high school in 1970 and continued teaching until her retirement in 1999.

Her retirement created a second career, providing day care for her two cherished grandchildren until they were teenagers. She was very active in the Kirkland Seventh day Adventist Church and well known amongst friends and family for her cooking and sewing skills. She enjoyed quilting and won numerous ribbons and awards for her work. Helen traveled extensively, enjoying group tours, educational jaunts and trips with family, both domestic and international.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Harry and Adelle Eighme, and her oldest brother, Harold who always referred to her as “Baby Sister.”

Helen is survived by her daughters, Kathy Dufur, Susan Smith (husband Ed Smith and children William Smith and Abigail Smith) and Carolyn Stiver (husband Shawn Stiver), brothers Lloyd Eighme (wife Mary Margaret Eighme) and Reg Eighme (wife Jan Eighme and daughters Keri Robison and Vicki Wiley), and her former husband, Bill Dufur.

A memorial service is being planned for January 30, 2016 at the Kirkland SDA Church. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to be made to the local hospice foundation, the Adventist Disaster Relief Agency (ADRA) or a charity of choice.

Full obituary and on-line guestbook at www.flintofts.com