Alma Wilkie

Alma Wilkie, 83, longtime Moses Lake resident, passed away on Wednesday, July 8, 2009, at Deaconess Medical Center in Spokane. Her children were with her.

She was born July 4, 1926, in Rusholme, England, the middle daughter to Charles and Edith (Morey) Parker. She lived a very interesting life from that moment on. She participated in sports as a child and later enjoyed watching English soccer, keeping the Manchester United/Manchester City rivalry going with her nephews. After the war, she met and married her “Yank” from Durant, Oklahoma, Air Force Sergeant Edwin F. Wilkie. Their daughter, Lynne, was born in Withington, England, and their son, Dale, in San Angelo, Texas.

As an Air Force family, they traveled to many places. Among Alma’s favorites was Tripoli, North Africa, for the ruins and the archeological digs. 1962 found them in Moses Lake at Larson Air Force Base. Ed passed away in 1968 and at that time, Alma went to school at BBCC and Eastern Washington University to get her teaching degree. She passed on her love of reading and learning to many students as she taught at Longview Elementary for 14 years before retiring.

She is survived by daughter and son-in-law Lynne and Jack Wilson and son Dale Wilkie of Moses Lake, her stateside family including niece Kay (Rick) Runkle and nephew Randy (Dawn) James and the joy of her life, grandsons Paul (Alicia Matakis) Edwin Wilkie of Everett and James (Ashley Bersano) Edwin Wilkie of Seattle. Her “Brag Book” wasn’t big enough when it came to them. In England, she is survived by her sisters Wyn Lampard and Barbara (Charles) Grimshaw and nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Ed and his sister and brother-in-law Dorotha and Al Bradley and brother-in-law Samuel Lampard.

While Alma had requested that there be no services, her family will have a gathering here and in England for a celebration of her life. There will be tears and laughter and many wonderful memories shared over a good cup of tea!