Retha Fabre
Retha Fabre

Obituary of Retha Jean Fabre

Retha Jean Fabre The greatest tribute to Retha is knowing that she lived life on her own terms and with her own fantastic sense of humor. Those of us fortunate enough to be a part of her life will treasure her always. Retha was born in Tacoma on Jan. 14, 1934, to Eugene and Olga Morrison. She graduated from St. Leo's in 1951, then met and married the Ranger that would spoil her for the rest of her life, Michael Fabre. They settled in University Place in 1958 to raise their family. She worked for a short time at Fort Lewis, prior to joining her husband in their family business. She had many interests and one of her fondest was politics, where she particularly enjoyed volunteering in her local precinct. She also enjoyed traveling and had fond memories of trips with her sister and lifelong best friend, Maureen. Retha's greatest passion was to be a wife and mother, and she became not only the matriarch, but also the heart and soul of her family. She was the "Kool-Aid mom" and everyone stopped by to have one of her famous cups of coffee. We will miss her - her devoted husband of 51 years, Mike; son Steve (Kathleen); daughters Wendy Turner (Dan), Cory Valdes (Dan), Kristy (her daughter and special friend); the grandchildren she loved to spoil: Ryan, Bree, Daniel, Josh, Nick, Adam, Cassidy and Michael; her sister, Maureen; beloved niece, Kerry; great nephew, Chas (the 9th grandchild); good neighbors and friends, the Karlinseys; and numerous friends and relatives. We were fortunate enough to be with mom when she died on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2005. Although we will hold private services, we wish to publicly thank Franciscan Hospice staff - we were overwhelmed by the heartwarming care and kindness they showed to mom and to our whole family - thank you. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to this amazing organization, Franciscan Hospice at 2901 Bridgeport Way W., U.P., WA 98466. Published in the News Tribune (Tacoma) on 11/11/2005.
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We are deeply sorry for your loss ~ the staff at Edwards Memorial | University Place
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