Irene (Suder) Atkinson

Mom was born in Brewster WA on June 24, 1927 to George and Ida Suder.  They lived in the Okanogan area.  In high school mom bought a saxophone by mail order and taught herself how to play sitting out in a field.  Then she played in a three piece band to earn money.  In her senior year in high school the family moved to Bremerton so her parents could work in the shipyard to help with the war effort.  After high school mom worked at Keyport.  She met DeMack Atkinson II at a dance in the old grange in Kingston.  Six months later, they were married in Chelan on July 28, 1946.  She loved being married into a big happy family.  Mom and dad lived on Vashon Island for over sixty years where they raised their son, Mack and daughter, Jan.  Most of her career was in the title insurance industry, first in Seattle and then in Tacoma.  Mom loved boating in the south Sound and all the way North into the Inside Passage in BC. Later as snowbirds trailering around visiting relatives in New Jersey and Tennessee. Other trips included the Florida Keys and following The River Road along the Mississippi River from the headwaters in Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. They visited many state fairs and decided that the Puyallup Fair was one of the best.  Many winters were spent in California, Arizona and Texas where they met up with family and friends.

She was preceded in death by her mother, father, brother George, and sister-in-law Ruth, and all 16 of her brothers-in-laws and sisters-in-laws. Her surviving relatives include her husband DeMack of 75 years, son Mack and Glenda and daughter Jan and Bob Martin, five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.  The family would like to thank Sound Vista Village and Hospice for their guidance and care.

A celebration of mom’s life will be held June 18, 2022, at the Port Orchard Yacht Club at 2pm.

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