Mary Catherine "Mary Kay" Aamodt Lambert

Mary Catherine Aamodt (Mary Kay) was born in Seattle on April 1, 1932. She was half Irish (Ratigan) and half Norwegian (Aamodt), and grew up on Beacon Hill with her mother Agnes, brother Eddy, and sister Tena. She attended Holy Names Academy, where she became class president, and Seattle University. She married Thomas Martin and had three children. Tom and Mary Kay owned and operated the first Shakey's Pizza franchise in Washington, eventually opening four restaurants. She and Tom later divorced, and in January 1969, she met Gregory Lambert on a ski trip in McCall, Idaho. Greg's first wife Trudy had passed away and he was raising nine children. Mary Kay and Greg married in June of 1969, and they began the rest of their lives together with a blended family of 12 children ranging from 5 to 21. Mary Kay and her three moved into the Lambert house in Bellevue where all the kids would attend St. Louise Elementary School.

Mary Kay showed her children unconditional love. Her home was a busy and welcoming place. She was a home room mother, a softball coach, and fostered several special needs children. She was an avid and graceful skier. The family often skied at Alpental and made ski trips to Sun Valley, Lake Tahoe, Bend, and Whistler. She owned and operated Moss Bay Trading Post in Kirkland with her friend Heather. In 1983, Mary Kay and Greg moved to Eureka, CA where they lived for four years before returning to Bellevue. They built a house on Lake Sammamish, before eventually retiring in Seattle. They spent many happy days in their C‑Dory, navigating the Salish Sea from Olympia to Port Hardy, BC, and everything in between. No matter the water temperature, Mary Kay liked to take a swim out the back of the boat, while Greg had a glass of wine and supervised.

Mary Kay and Greg celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary at the Seattle Yacht Club in the summer of 2019 with their 11 children and significant others, 16 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren. She later added two more great grandchildren. This summer they celebrated their 52nd anniversary.

Mary Kay was beautiful and intelligent. She had style and poise, and could make meaningful conversation in any situation. She was adventurous and brave, and did not cower in the face of challenges. She lived with an appreciation for what she had and begrudged no one. She respected other people’s struggles and would not tolerate the underprivileged being treated poorly. She was unfailingly welcoming. She accepted people as they were, with grace and a generous spirit. Mary Kay was proud of her family. She treasured children, valued education, and excelled at doing good works. She enjoyed an engaging discussion, a beautiful view, a warm fire, and a thought-provoking book. She is loved, and she is missed. In her memory, please celebrate her life in the spirit with which she lived, with unexpected, unsolicited acts of generosity and kindness for those less fortunate.

Mary Kay was preceded in death by her sister Tena and is survived by her brother Ed, her husband Greg and her extended family.

Mary Kay's life will be celebrated on February 25th at 10am at

Assumption Catholic Church

6201 33rd Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98115