AIDEEN RAE BODE

Aideen Rae Bode passed away on December 28, 2010. She was born in Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin, on April 6, 1925. The city was flooded and her mother was taken to the hospital in a row boat. She was the oldest and bossiest of three girls. In 7th grade, the family moved to Stevens Point, Wisconsin, where she graduated from high school in 1942 and attended the University of Wisconsin. At a USO dance, Aideen met her future husband Bill and they were married April 24, 1944, at Scott Air Field in Illinois where he was stationed. In 1948, they packed everything they owned in an Oldsmobile and moved from Tremont, Illinois, to Okanogan, Washington, to further Bill's teaching career. She still has several wonderful friends from these Okanogan years. In 1956, they moved to Pasco. All Aideen ever wanted was to be a mother. Carol and Bruce were born in Okanogan and Kristi and Peter were born in Pasco. With kids in school, she started a 25-year career in the Pasco and Kennewick libraries. She loved helping people with their films, books and other materials. Everyone was so special to her. She didn't consider it a job but a privilege. When she retired in 1989, the library gave a Christmas theme retirement party on April Fool's Day because of her love of Christmas!

Aideen loved babies, Shirley Temple, the color red, books and trains. She always wanted to write a book, and she was a good storyteller. Aideen also has a pen pal from Scotland since the fifth grade. In an English assignment, she met Jen and they still correspond and have met on several occasions. Her dad worked for the Soo Line railroad and the girls were able to go by train every summer from Wisconsin to California to visit their grandparents. There were many stories regarding these train rides. All her life she has loved to travel. Aideen was fortunate to have taken several wonderful European trips with her sisters. The three sisters would get together annually in January for a 'golden girls' reunion, usually in California, and Elderhostel trips. She had also traveled to every state except Rhode Island. Closer to home, the whole family loved to camp at Lost Lake up by Okanogan and Hood Park.

Aideen and Bill were active members of the Pasco Presbyterian Church. Bill was the organist and Aideen was an Elder and Clerk of Session for many terms. After the little church closed, she attended the Kennewick First United Methodist Church. She also belonged to the Lourdes Auxiliary.

After Bill passed away in 1996, her little red and white house became too much for her and she moved to Hawthorne Court in Kennewick in 2002. She made good friends and enjoyed all the activities especially being on the scholarship committee. Everyone took such good care of her. Her family appreciates that. She was always ready to go anywhere the bus would go!

Aideen was preceded in death by her husband, Bill (Wilbert); her parents, Clifford and Blanche Bowman; and her sister, Toni Kenyon. She is survived by her daughter, Carol Adams and her husband Richard of Spokane; along with her children, Maralee Hickman of Little Rock, AR; and Jonathan Adams of Spokane and his daughter, Kassidy Adams of Shreveport, LA; her son, Bruce Bode of Kennewick, his daughter Alicia Bode of Spokane; her daughter, Kristi Urlacher and her children, Lisa and Kevin Urlacher, all of Pasco; and her son, Pete Bode of Spokane and his daughter, Allison Bode of Eugene, OR; her sister, Helen Frazee, of Cupertino, CA; and five nieces and nephews.

Next to Christmas, mom loved to celebrate her birthday. There will be a Memorial Service to celebrate mom on April 6, 2011, at 7:00 p.m. at the Kennewick First United Methodist Church, 2 S. Dayton, Kennewick.

Memorials may be made to the Hawthorne Court Resident Scholarship Fund, 524 N. Ely, Kennewick, WA, 99336. Arrangements are being handled by Columbia Memorial Funeral Chapel & Gardens.