Ruth Marcy Kitchel, 89, of Chehalis, Washington, passed away of natural causes at home on Oct.15, 2023.
She was born in New Braunfels, Texas, on Aug. 18, 1934, to Clarence and Della Leifeste. Upon graduating from New Braunfels High School, she worked for Trottner Iron and Steel in San Antonio, Texas, with a role in accounting. In 1952, she married Donald Marcy, with whom she had two sons, Donald Marcy, of Seattle, Washington, and Rodney Marcy, of Denver, Colorado, and Laguna Niguel, California. R
Ruth moved to Chehalis in 1962 and worked for both the accounting firm of Convery and Smith and L&E Bottling Company, where she managed the office and accounting functions. She retired from the bottling company in 1995.
Ruth was an accomplished chef and anyone who dined at her house will attest to her talent preparing a terrific meal. She was a skilled mountaineer, teaching climbing classes for The Mountaineers, Olympia Branch, through which she summited all the major mountains in the Pacific Northwest. She also had a successful ascent of the Grand Teton in Wyoming. She enjoyed skiing and her favorite was always White Pass, where she was a member of the Olympia Ski Club.
In 1978, she married Richard Kitchel, of Chehalis, and together they enjoyed a terrific life in the outdoors. Their goal together was to stock the freezers of family and friends with the bounty of forest and ocean! In1996, they took their 42-foot trawler on a four-month voyage through the Inland Passage to Southeast Alaska.
Spring was an especially busy time of year, as Ruth loved Richard’s passion for following the Seattle Mariners to spring training camp in Peoria, Arizona. For the last seven years, Ruth has been a resident of Woodland Village, where she enjoyed sharing times and activities with many of her lifelong friends.
Ruth will always be remembered for her warm smile, welcoming way with strangers, and a passion to learn and share new things with others. She was preceded in death by her husbands, Donald and Richard; her parents, Clarence and Dellal and brothers, Kermit Leifeste and Kenneth Leifeste, both of San Antonio, Texas.
She is survived by her sister, Flora Lou Kehoe, San Antonio, Texas; sons, Donald and Rodney; and stepdaughter, Denise Kitchel, Seattle. She loved her grandchildren and seeing them grow in life. She is survived by Jake Roberts, Seattle, Washington, Nicole Gfeller, Spokane, Washington, Tyana Humphrey, Riverton, Wyoming, Tiffany Lindgren, Centralia, Washington, and Caroline Burke-Dullinger, Austin, Texas. A celebration of Ruth’s life will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. Dec. 3, 2023, at The Loft in Chehalis.
