Gilberta 'Berta' Key
Berta Key was a loving wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother who adored her family and will be missed by them greatly.
Our beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, Gilberta Key, 81, returned to our Heavenly Father on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, surrounded by her family in Ephrata.
Gilberta was born Dec. 28, 1941, to Gilbert and Ethel Durham in San Diego, Calif., where she also graduated from high school and married her lifelong partner, James "Jim" Key. The two had three children and with their young children in tow, moved to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and started a new life. In the early 1970s, Jim and Gilberta moved their family again to Ephrata, where they became farmers.
It did not take long for them to fall in love with the area and the people of Eastern Washington. They loved interacting with friends through the White Trail Grange and a local square dancing group. Jim and Gilberta frequently entertained these same friends at card parties and Church get-togethers. Gilberta was also an active 4-H leader and Cub Scout leader as she sought to raise her children with strong values and morals.
Gilberta was preceded in death by her parents, husband, brother, sister and one grandson.
She will never be forgotten by those whose lives she had an impact on. One close family friend wrote, "If there was someone who was so perfect she could be the living mother of Christ on Earth, it was her." How true.
Gilberta raised or helped raise many youth and is survived by her children, Alan (LaVoy) Key, Adam (Susi) Key and Anna (Mike) Canet, Chanel Durham and Ariel Durham, 10 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren.