Blanche Maria Cain

Blanche Maria CAIN Blanche Maria Cain, 72, died on Thursday, August 11, 2011 ather son's home in West Seattle from complications related to diabetes. Born in San Diego in 1939, Maria settled in Bellevue, Washington in 1965 with her husband and growing family. As a neighborhood activist in the 1970s, she organized a coalition of the city's community clubs when Bellevue's future was being debated. In 1980 she was elected to the Bellevue City Council and served one term. She was an outspoken critic of unbridled development, and her efforts influenced the way Bellevue appears today. She later worked for the Metropolitan King County Council, co-owned a Peruvian import business, and remained active in local and regional politics, organizing protests against the WTO in Seattle in 1999. As a public figure, she had a reputation as a defender of the 'little guy' and a fiercely independent mind. In 2006, a stroke forced her to retire. She was also a dedicated and inspiring mother of nine, an accomplished artist, and a superb public speaker and conversationalist. Her lust for life was contagious. She was greatly loved and will be sorely missed. She is survived by her brother John Watmore and sister Jerry McCormick Ray; eight of her nine children (her oldest son Terry Cain predeceased her): John Cain, Steve Cain, Julie Cain, Jeff Cain, Chris Cain, Tom Cain, Jennifer Cain, and Michael Cain; six daughters-in-law, Leslie Cain, Martina Cain, Amanda Cain, Lara Cain, Amanda Cain, and Julia Cain; and eighteen grandchildren. A funeral service will be held at 10:30 on August 18, 2011, at Our Lady of Guadalupe in West Seattle, 3401 SW Myrtle St. (off 35th Ave.), Seattle, WA 98126. Internment at Forest Lawn Cemetery.