BOMBER MEMORIAL

KARYN ANN GROB ~ Class of 1966
November 4, 1947 - June 9, 2021



Karyn Ann Grob passed away June 9, 2021, at The Villas at Green Valley in Arizona. She was 73.

Born November 4, 1947, in Yakima to Russell and Vivian Grob, Karyn was the clever, protective and sometimes bossy eldest sister to three siblings. She grew up in Richland, attending Christ the King Catholic School for eight years and graduating from Richland (then known as Columbia) High School in 1966. Opinionated and brave, she challenged nuns, teachers, boyfriends and her parents along the way, always defending the underdog. She was a loyal, committed friend, maintaining close friendships through the years with her many buddies from Richland and was a generous and loving sister, aunt and partner.

She tried on several universities for size and different areas of study before settling on computer programming at Seattle Central Community College. Even before graduation she began her long career at the City of Seattle, retiring as the Control/SCADA Systems Manager at Seattle City Light in 2011. She moved to Green Valley shortly thereafter.

Karyn thrived in Arizona, tempering her outspokenness to adapt to a political environment different than Seattle's. She enjoyed daily walks in the desert (which she said reminded her of the area around Richland) and most of the desert animals, excluding those pesky javelinas. She explored towns, historical sites and museums between Tucson and the border collecting Native American art and jewelry, Central American/Mexican folk art and regional artisans in general. She volunteered at the Lions Club eyeglass recycling center and as a dog walker with The Animal League of Green Valley, the no kill animal shelter where she met her best pal. She loved her house, her neighborhood, her friends, her adopted dog (Shilo) and never ever outgrew her love of books and her dedication to chocolate.

She moved to the Villas in January 2020, five months after her diagnosis of Ischemic White Matter Disease. She avoided catching Covid, surviving lockdown thanks to frequent phone calls with friends from all over, Facetime and Zooms with family, and window visits by her wonderful friends in Green Valley. Once the Villas reopened to indoor visits in May she was having visitors daily, and family and friends outside Arizona began planning trips to see her. Sadly, Karyn died 19 days after fracturing her hip before family members were able to visit.

Karyn was preceded in death by her parents; her brother, Terry ('76); the lovely Shilo and several other adored ice cream-eating dogs.

She is survived by her sisters; Kathy Grob Brittain ('68) of Gig Harbor, WA and Linda Grob ('71) (husband, Mac Dunstan) of Mazama, WA; nephew, Ross Brittain of Tacoma; niece, Kirby Brittain of San Francisco; Colin Hughes of London; longtime friends and two ex-husbands in Washington; and Green Valley friends who first noticed her cognitive decline and offered her support and love to the end.

A Memorial for Karyn was held at the Esperanza Estates Sunset Ramada in Green Valley on June 26, 2021.

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Published in the Tri-City Herald from July 10 to July 11, 2021.

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Bomber Memorial put together by Shirley COLLINGS Haskins ('66).