Wilma Illich, 81

Wilma Illich was born Aug. 30, 1933, in New Hradec, North Dakota, to Frank and Agnes Sadowsky. Wilma lost her mother and twin brother Wilfred at a young age. She grew up on her father's farm with her brother Frank and her four sisters, Marie, Peggy, Sally and Meg.

She died peacefully on May 22, 2015, among family in Tacoma, Washington, following a short illness.

Willie, as her family and friends knew her, was a wonderful mother of seven children, a loving spouse, a generous grandmother, a hard worker and a world traveler.

Willie attended Model High School in Dickinson, North Dakota. In 1952, Willie fell in love with Tony Illich, and the couple married in Dickinson. They had three children before moving west to Wyoming and Montana. Mountains and natural beauty called the family to the scenic wonderlands of Cody, Wyoming, and Billings, Lewistown, Kalispell and Bozeman, where they enjoyed the outdoors, camping, hiking, fishing and exploring. Willie always enjoyed outings with friends, playing games (especially bridge), and holding social events.

As her children matured, Willie embraced the working world of travel consulting and bookkeeping, as she managed travel details for hundreds of clients at Big Horn Travel in Cody, and later at Flathead Travel in Kalispell. In Kalispell, she worked for Moose Miller and opened the doors to Glacier Travel, hired staff and built a new agency for travelers to and from the beautiful Flathead Valley. Willie herself traveled the world as she visited places across Canada, England, Ireland, Thailand, Germany, France and Switzerland.

Once the children all graduated high school and left home, Tony and Willie moved to Bozeman where they lived contentedly nestled in the majestic Gallatin Valley at the northern entrance to Yellowstone Park. During her retirement, Willie especially enjoyed long day hikes with Tony in the surrounding mountains. Having more time, Tony and Willie had the chance to travel abroad together, and explored from where their grandparents emigrated to the United States in the areas of the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovenia. These were to be the golden years.

Plans changed, however, on a fateful day in the Seattle area on a visit to their children in the year 2000. Willie was seriously injured in a vehicle accident almost exactly 15 years prior to the day she passed. Willie was paralyzed from the waist down and was wheelchair bound for her remaining life. Tony and Willie remained in Seattle that day and have lived since in Federal Way, Washington, among family in the Puget Sound region.

Following the accident, Willie saw and enjoyed many wonderful events including the growth of her 10 grandchildren. She became an ardent supporter of the Seattle Mariners and Seattle Seahawks. She also contributed to and participated in the local Catholic parish of St. Theresa's.

Willie's greatest love was for her family, her husband, children, grandchildren and extended family. She could recite birth dates of all 60 plus of her nieces and nephews. She was a hub of communications for not only her immediate family but hundreds of friends and relatives all around the world. Her handwriting was firm and unmistakable. But she also embraced computer technology and loved using email as a means to send birthday and anniversary greetings and stay in touch with her loved ones.

Wilma is survived by her husband, Tony; two daughters, Cody and Kurt, and Susan; five sons, Dan, Russ and Caroline, Jim and Alyson, Fred and Joan, and John and Lisa; and 10 grandchildren, Ben, Lexie, Matthew, Claire, Morgan, Hannah, Laura, Colter, Natalie and Sam. She is also survived by her sister Meg.

She was preceded in death by her mother Agnes, father Frank, sisters Martha, Marie, Peggy and Sally, brothers Wilfred and Frank, son-in-law Jason, and daughter-in-law Loretta.

Funeral Mass will be at 1:30 p.m. June 5 at St. Theresa's Catholic Church, 3939 S.W. 331st St., Federal Way, WA 98003. Prayer service is 7 p.m. June 4, at Bonney-Watson Funeral Home, 1535 SW Dash Point Road, Federal Way, WA 98023.