Barbara McIntyre Kenner, 100, peacefully passed on to be with her Savior in the early morning of Oct. 22, 2019.
Barb was born in Tacoma on Aug. 11, 1919, the second of three daughters born to George and Christian Smith. Barb attended Willard Elementary School in Tacoma, Birchwood Elementary and Bellingham High School. She graduated from Multnomah Bible College in Portland, earning her teaching certificate. Barb worked various jobs before and while attending business college in Bellingham, eventually attending the University of Washington where she met Harold Kenner.
Barb and Hal were married on Oct. 21, 1945, in Bellingham. They had three children — John, Paul and Nancy — and together they raised their family in various homes in the Seattle area and at their vacation cabin in Hansville, Washington, where many happy family memories were made!
Barb was the ultimate homemaker, always involved in some project — sewing, cooking, knitting, gardening, canning, crafting and so much more. She was the ultimate coupon clipper; we often teased her that being Scottish and born during the Depression, she had no option but to be so thrifty! Her grandchildren all treasure the handmade Christmas ornaments she gave them each year, and in her later years she gifted us many handcrafted items, reminding us of her ability to make beauty out of everyday items such as driftwood she collected on her beach walks.
Barb loved traveling. In addition to their many family camping and boating trips, she enjoyed reminiscing about more distant travels including Scotland, Greece, Jordan and New Zealand. She had an adventurous spirit, always eager to see and learn about other lands and cultures.
The Kenner household was rarely without a pet, and Barb’s lifelong love of dogs is what she says kept her healthy — walking them daily, well into her 90s! She loved sharing stories about the family pets, usually with a dog in her lap.
Over the years, Barb and Hal hosted over 20 foreign students who attended the University of Washington. Many of those students/spouses remain close family friends today.
Barb was a gentle, kind, positive woman who dearly loved Jesus, becoming a Christian at age 4. She wrote in a family history book that she believed the most important decision anyone can make is receiving Christ as their Lord and Savior, and that it is her desire that her children and grandchildren follow Christ and love God.
Barb was preceded in death by her husband Hal, her parents George and Christian Smith, and sisters and brothers-in-law Pat and Don Buxton and Kay and Bob Fackler. She is survived by sons John (Sharon) of Bothell, Paul (Chris) of Lynden and daughter Nancy of Lynnwood; seven grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2, in Alderwood Community Church of Lynnwood. A private family interment will be held in Hansville Cemetery at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to Providence Hospice Foundation, 2731 Wetmore Ave., Everett, WA 98201; PAWS, P.O. Box 1037, Lynnwood, WA 98046.
Arrangements are by A Secret Moment of Everett.
