Catherine ‘Kay’ Domarotsky passed away peacefully on Monday the 8th of April. She was born in the small coal mining town of Shaft, Pennsylvania to Anna and John Demanchick on April 29, 1927. A somewhat shy and reserved girl, Kay dated, and eventually married Bernard ‘Ski’ Domarotsky in November of 1949. Anyone who has known Kay and Ski over the years can presume her shy and reserved nature was soon transformed by the comic and outgoing personality of Ski, and a 59 year marriage that bore them four children, nine grandchildren, and several great and great-great grandchildren.

Mom was valedictorian of her high school class, and had dreamed of becoming a math teacher. But circumstances and opportunities afforded to children of working class families, especially women in those days, somewhat eroded those dreams. Instead her marriage to Ski led them to Tacoma in 1950, where he served in the then U.S. Army Air Corps as a radar technician. He was soon shipped off to the Hanford works while still in the military, eventually landing a job with General Electric. Mom told us many times how she would cry herself to sleep in her basement apartment while Ski was away, always anticipating they would return to Pennsylvania and family. But soon came Cheryl, followed in succession by Barbara, Mark, and Karen, and the life they made together for three quarters of century in Richland was underway.

Mom was a hard and determined worker over the years. While living in the Navy homes in Pasco before having children, she rented a typewriter, practicing for days on end until landing a clerical job at Hanford. When the kids got older she went back to work, doing stints at Kadlec Hospital, ITT, and eventually J.A. Jones until retiring at age 62. But the real work she put in was the physical efforts she put forth with dad, building two new homes, and remodeling several others including their rental properties. We can remember mom hopping in the 1949 Plymouth pickup, along with one or two of the kids, loading basalt pieces from the dike by the Yakima River to be used on the exterior of the garage on the house that would become only the seventh home in what is now Hills West. There was no show of hands for who wanted to volunteer; it was get your butt in this truck, we have work to do time.

Mom was also a dedicated and accomplished bowler, having won several trophies and awards, along with attending national bowling tournaments across the country until an injury to her arm put an end to her bowling days at age 90. Yes, that’s right, 90.

Her life was made even more complete with her and dad being able to travel. Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, China, Europe, and a few trips to Mexico were among the many places they experienced. There were also the cross country car trips back east to see friends and family. But the traveling they enjoyed most was the 130 mile drive to the crown jewel of their legacy, the family cabin on the river just west of Cle Elum in a place called Pine Glen. For nearly 42 years ‘the cabin’ as it was known, was the gathering place for countless family and friends moments, made even better by the owners of the cabin next door, dad’s brother and sister-in-law, Bill and Beverly Domarotsky. There are no words to really describe how great it was to gather during the years for weekends and holidays, all because of the thoughtfulness and generosity of mom and dad, and Uncle Bill and Aunt Bev. “Mi casa es su casa” is Spanish for “my house is your house”, but there’s a Polish and Slovak version that’s been going on for decades in Pine Glen, and it touched the hearts of anyone who was fortunate enough to visit.

Mom decided to move to the Brookdale assisted living facility in 2020, making new friends and joining in on many of the activities before the onset of dementia began its invasion into her brain. It was a slow but noticeable progression, and one that ended with mom bowling her tenth and final frame on the 8th of this month. The family takes great comfort in believing she’s now with Ski and others dear to her who have passed over the years. Hers was a good long life, full of family and friends who loved her, and it’s hard to ask for much more than that. Well done, mom.