Lillian Jean Whitney Omberg passed away peacefully on January 10, 2026, surrounded by her family. She was born on September 26, 1939, in Grandview, WA to Raymond and Myrtle (Nelson) Whitney. One of ten children, she was raised on a farm. She attended Grandview High School, where she held office in the Girls’ Athletic Association and Future Homemakers of America, and was a member of the Honor Society and Pep Band. Her sports of choice were bowling and softball. She excelled at both, and continued league bowling for years. She studied accounting at Washington State College (now Washington State University), where her brothers had enrolled before her, but left without graduating when her mother’s illness made it difficult to afford. She went to work for General Electric in Richland, WA, as an administrative assistant in the Health Physics group. A co-worker introduced her to her husband (Ronald) in 1960, and they were married in 1963.

Lillian and Ron moved to Berkeley, CA in 1963, where she attended Merritt College in Oakland, and he was a graduate student in Nuclear Engineering at University of California, Berkeley. Their first daughter (Susan) was born in Berkeley. In 1969 they returned to Richland, where their second daughter (Kristin) was born. Lillian worked for the Richland School District for 22 years, retiring in 2003. Before her formal employment with the district, she spent thousands of hours in volunteer positions – in school libraries, at carnivals, for bake sales, as a room mother, and with the Parent Teacher Association. After retiring, she continued to work part-time at sports, music, and drama events, mostly for the joy she found in the students. It was almost impossible to go anywhere in Richland without running into a former Hanford student who knew her and was delighted to see her.

Lillian was a talented seamstress, and loved creating something new. She made coordinating mother-daughter dresses and matching doll outfits. She made fantastical Halloween costumes for her daughters, starting when they were very small and continuing through six decades. She created costumes for Hanford Drama productions for almost two decades, including everything from hoop skirts and poodle skirts to three-piece business suits and tabards for the Three Musketeers. She taught her daughters, her granddaughter, and many of their friends to sew, and created amazing custom clothing with her granddaughter. For her retirement celebration, the Hanford Performing Arts teachers and students organized a combination concert/musical/fashion show, featuring songs they had written for and about her, and students modeling the many costumes she created over the years.

Lillian played the clarinet and the piano and had a beautiful singing voice. The house was often full of music – sometimes recordings of show tunes and jazz standards; often kids practicing for lessons, recitals, competitions, school musicals, and local theater productions. She typically left the radio on for the cats when she was going out, so that they would have music in the house. She sang along with the radio in the car and always knew all the words.

Lillian loved to travel. As a young mother and Camp Fire leader, she took her Camp Fire girls on adventures throughout Washington state. She brought her brother and sister on an adventure to Alaska, where they hiked on a glacier, visited Denali national park, and fished in the Kenai. She visited her daughters in Colorado, California, and New Mexico. Later in life, she and her friends traveled widely – including to Peru and Russia. She chaperoned Hanford Drama students on a trip to Scotland in 2004. For their 50th wedding anniversary, her family celebrated with a river cruise down the Danube.

Lillian loved swimming and took advantage of mother-daughter swimming lessons in Berkeley to teach Susan to swim at a very early age. In Richland, she encouraged her daughters and her granddaughter through swimming lessons and lifeguard certification. She was a founding member of the Indian Springs Swim Club, having canvassed the neighborhood for members to support the construction of the pool and facilities. She was treasurer for the Swim Club for decades, organized and headed up work parties throughout the swimming season, and swam laps every summer morning with a group of friends.

Lillian was a talented gardener, and loved roses, rhododendrons, iris, and magnolias. On Memorial Day she cut flowers from her garden, and in later years from her daughters’ gardens, to place on her loved ones’ graves. For most of the summer, she kept garden tools in the trunk of her car, and was happy to help friends, neighbors, and her daughters tend to their yards.

In the winter, she would use her snowblower to clear her sidewalk and driveway and then walk around the block (clearing the sidewalks along the way) to her daughter’s house. She was a distinctive figure, in a quilted jacket and fur hat that Ron had brought to her from Russia. Lillian was devoted to her family, including her beloved sister, Ruth, and her many brothers, sisters-in-law, nieces, and nephews. She took great pride in her children and grandchildren and spent many happy hours with her granddaughter. She was also a passionate sports fan who loved the Seahawks, the Mariners, and Gonzaga basketball. She travelled to Las Vegas multiple times to watch the West Coast Conference basketball tournament, and the Zags, play in person.

She loved animals, including not only her several cats, but the many cats and dogs, and even a parrot, a turtle, and a rat that belonged to her daughters over the years. She took great joy in feeding the squirrels and birds who visited her yard, although she had mixed feelings about the raccoons. She was friends with the neighborhood dogs, who would run to her when she was in the garden, looking for a scratch behind the ears.

Lillian is survived by her husband, Ronald, and her children Susan Omberg Carro (husband Craig Carro, son Brandon, and daughter Christina) and Kristin Omberg (husband Scott Miller and daughter Emma), as well as her “adopted” daughter Diane Waryas Hughey (husband Paul). She is also survived by her younger brother, Fred Whitney (Ann), and her sister-in-law, Violet Whitney.

Lillian loved reunions. Friends and loved ones are welcome to reunite for a celebration of Lillian’s life on May 30, 2026 from 1 to 3 pm at Anthology at 706 Williams Blvd in Richland. In remembrance of Lillian, the family encourages those who wish to express sympathy to consider making a donation to Hanford Drama at www.hanforddrama.org/donate.