Our mom, Victoria Mary Lechelt, fondly remembered by family as “Vicky Tory Mary
Lechelt,” passed away surrounded by her family on March 4, after a quiet but
courageous battle with cancer. She was born to Alpha and Marvin Lechelt at Our Lady
of Lourdes Hospital in Pasco, Washington, on September 14, 1954.
Growing up in the small town of Kennewick, Mom was known as a fearless fighter long
before she grew into the intelligent and beautiful woman we knew. Her sisters recall that
at the tender age of two and a half, Vicky threw down with her similarly aged boy
cousins. Above the boy’s cries you could hear her say, “He hit me furst, Momma! He hit
me furst!”
In high school, Vicky met and fell head over heels for Robert (Bob) Percifield, a friend of
her brother Cort. Bob would come to the Lechelt family home on South Sharron Street
to talk motorcycles and play pool. Victoria and Bob married soon after high school on
April 8, 1973, and went on to have four children: Robert, Jessica, Andrea, and Nora.
Mom loved kids, and while our family wasn’t the size of her beloved Von Trapp family,
we spent our younger days going on nature walks, observing the natural beauty of the
world around us, and learning songs by listening to her beautiful singing voice. Our
childhood was filled with big-sky sunsets and mud pies on long summer days that
ended with us sitting together on our tiny front porch, breathing in the scent of freshly
cut mint from nearby farms. Running around barefoot, crawling through sagebrush,
sleeping under the stars, and eating strawberries from the garden she nurtured remain
cherished memories of our early childhood.
Mom also loved her many doggy companions over the years. She used to tease us that
she was taking her furry lap buddy, leaving us behind, and going to Hawaii. Some of her
treasured names over the years were Brovic, Kerry-Anne, and Radley.
Mom called the Pacific Northwest her home—from the Columbia Basin to the beautiful
Blue Mountains of Walla Walla—eventually settling on the open plains of Idaho. She
could be tough, but we never doubted that she would do anything to help her children if
we needed her. She once worked long hours cleaning bathrooms at a truck stop so she
could quietly give her oldest daughter a little spending money while she was attending
college.
Mom didn’t have many close friends after losing her childhood best friend, Patty K., but
she was fiercely loyal to the ones lucky enough to call her a friend. In midlife, having
survived thyroid cancer and various other health challenges, she took in her then–best
friend Bonnie, who needed care for MS toward the end of her life.
Our dear cousins, Gail and Donna, became part of the family because our mom noticed
they were two little girls alone and in need of care. She invited them into her parents’
home, where they were fed, clothed, and welcomed into our family and our hearts.
That’s who our mom was—always the good Samaritan. She didn’t fall far from the apple
tree. If she ever stumbled in this, it was only in not always recognizing when she was
giving the best of herself to people who didn’t deserve it.
She never tolerated bullies and, as early as we can remember, she wouldn’t let us
become bullies or suffer them either. She used to say, “Don’t go starting fights, but if
someone swings on you, you finish it.” She knew the only way to stop a bully was to
show them you were not an easy target. Thankfully, we also had an older brother who
served as a deterrent to most bullies—at least the ones with any sense.
Our mother was blessed to be a grandmother to five grandchildren: Brianna Burns
(Chandler, and daughter Everleigh), Ike Percifield (Haili), ReAnna Percifield, Anai Ball,
and Huxley Henry. She was doubly blessed to know one great-grandchild, Everleigh
Burns, who at just two and a half years old lovingly referred to her great-grandmother as
“Meemaw.”
Mom was preceded in death by her father, Marvin J. Lechelt; mother, Alpha R. Lechelt;
and her brother, Wayne M. Lechelt.
Our mom’s struggle is over, and she is now in the presence of the infinite. In the end,
her faith in Jesus brought her peace and comfort, as did the loving care of her
daughters and the many visits from her grandbabies, whom she loved above all things.
Mom is survived by her siblings: Lucy Dayton (Joe), Randy Lechelt (Marleen), Cort
Lechelt (Glenda), Anita Cummings (Van), and Babs Hachey (Frank); and by her
children: Robert Percifield (Amie), Jessica Percifield Henry (Isaac), Andrea Percifield,
and Nora Ball (Calvin); and by her grandchildren and great-grandchild (respectively):
Brianna René Burns (Chandler), Ike Depariah Percifield (Haili), ReAnna Marie
Percifield, Anai Victoria Ball, Huxley Robert Henry, and her joyfully sweet Everleigh Lynn
Burns.
You will be missed dearly, Momma. We love you bigger than the universe and all of
time. You were taken too soon, and we mourn all the years of love and togetherness we
could have had.
Rest well