Loretta Kissler

03/16/1912 - 03/05/2011

KISSLER, Loretta
(Whealen)
(Age 98)

Of Colfax, WA passed away March 5, 2011 at her Colfax home following a brief illness. Loretta was born March 16, 1912 to Richard Thomas Whealen and Mary Francis McGrath in Colfax, WA. Her grandparents were among the first settlers to homestead in Whitman County then Washington Territory in 1869. Loretta attended St. John's Academy and Hamilton Grade School. She graduated from Colfax High School in 1931. After attending Business School she worked at JC Penney and the phone company in Colfax. On January 28, 1946 she married Sam Kissler in Lewiston, ID. They made their home on Union Flat where they farmed until retiring and moving to Colfax in 1974. Loretta was a member of Dusty BB Club and the Wilcox Grange. She was very active in PTA when her girls were in school. She is remembered for all the popcorn balls she made in multiples all the years she was a room mother. She and her husband traveled extensively and had toured all 50 states, driven to Mexico City, Mexico and had visited all the Provinces in Canada. For many years they wintered in Arizona. During the last ten years Loretta was fortunate to have the opportunity to spend winters in Hawaii and Arizona. Her husband Sam passed away in 1996. She is survived by her two daughters Mary Ann Wigen and Jo Anne Kissler both of Colfax; five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren called her "Grandma". The memorial service will be held on Friday, March 11, 2011 at 1 PM at Bruning Funeral Home in Colfax, WA. The family suggests memorials to the Colfax Schools Foundation Scholarship Program or to a favorite charity. BRUNING FUNERAL HOME OF COLFAX, WA is caring for the family. Online condolences may be sent to www.bruningfuneralhome.com