Karen Ann (Bailes) Webster

Karen Ann (Bailes) Webster, beloved by her family and many friends, started her Eternal Life when she accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior and began the next phase of that Life on June 14, 2016, when she passed away peacefully in the neurological intensive care unit at Swedish Cherry Hill surrounded by her family.  She leaves behind her loving husband of nearly 36 years, Clifford (Cliff) Webster, and their two adult children, Jocelyn Webster and Scott Webster.

Karen was born to Alvin and Shirley (Carey) Bailes on January 6, 1955, in Wenatchee, WA.  Karen grew up in East Wenatchee where she attended high school.  She received a double degree in journalism and psychology magna cum laude from Eastern Washington University in 1977.  She returned to Wenatchee to start her career as the food and religion editor at The Wenatchee World.

In 1980 in Wenatchee, Karen married Cliff and they moved to Washington, DC, where they lived for two years.  While there, Karen continued her career and also volunteered a day each week in the office of First Lady Nancy Reagan in the East Wing of The White House.  Karen and Cliff decided they would be "resident tourists" during their time in DC and frequently traveled to historic sites and museums around the District and on the East Coast.

Karen and Cliff returned to Washington moving to Seattle in 1983 to allow for Cliff to enter private law practice at the firm where he still works today and they started their family. Karen turned her attention to fostering a loving, faithful family life for Cliff and their two children.  Being a wife and mother were her two most treasured roles.  In Karen's home, there was always zest, quick-witted humor, good advice, and food in abundance.

After the children went to college, Karen pursued further education and was granted a Master's Degree in Public Administration from Seattle University in 2006---where she was inducted in to the Pi Alpha Alpha Honor Society with a 4.0 grade point average.  She always has been the hardest working and smartest student in the family.  She had a special interest in policy-based governance and election campaigns and has worked in recent years on successful ballot measure campaigns in Washington and Oregon, as a consultant with Winter & Mandabach Campaigns of Santa Monica.

Karen's profound faith led her to dedicate many hours volunteering at Hope Lutheran Church in West Seattle---she serving on the church's Board of Directors; she had a long tenure on the Hope Lutheran Elementary School Board, including serving as its chairperson; and she was a member of the Hope Foundation board.  Karen also was serving as Secretary of the Lutheran Women's Missionary League's Seattle chapter.  For 30 years, Karen has attended weekly Bible Study Fellowship classes to gain a deeper understanding of God's love and faithfulness to His people.

Karen led a life of service by example and hospitality certainly was one of her spiritual gifts.  Whether making cookies for church, preparing meals for those facing tough situations, making quilts for family and friends, or serving as a gracious hostess to guests in her family homes in Seattle and Leavenworth, Karen continually thought about how to make everyone around her more comfortable and at ease.

Her smiling eyes, giggle, wit, advice, style, sassy conversation, and generous love will be missed.  Though she lived in big cities for nearly 36 years, she considered herself an eastern Washington girl at heart and she will be buried at Mountain View Cemetery in Leavenworth, WA, to be near the Lake Wenatchee cabin home she and Cliff completed in 2003.  Her legacy of faith and service will live on in the lives of all who knew her and loved her.

A celebration of Karen's life is being held on Sunday, June 26, 2016 at 3:00 pm, at Hope Lutheran Church, 4456 42nd Ave SW, Seattle, WA  98116, which will be followed by a reception at the Seattle Lutheran High School gymnasium near the church.

Left to cherish her memory and carry forward her legacy of faith are her husband, Cliff, of Leavenworth and Seattle; their children, Jocelyn Webster and Scott Webster, both of Seattle; her parents, Alvin and Shirley (Carey) Bailes, of East Wenatchee; her brother, Donald (Janiece) Bailes, of Wenatchee; her sister-in-law, Janie Webster of Yakima; and all those who loved her.

For those who wish to make a memorial gift in Karen's name, the family offers the suggestion of one of these or to the charity of your choice: Lutheran Women's Missionary League/WA-AK District LWML http://www.lwml.org/home; or The Nursing Residency Program/Swedish Medical Center Foundation http;//swedishtributegifts.org/Karen_Webster.