Tami K. Vogel

COURAGE, LOVE, RESILIENCE & AN ADVENTUROUS SPIRIT

Tami K. (Yates) Vogel passed peacefully at her home in Blaine, WA, on February 28, 2026. She was the beloved wife of Jim Vogel and the daughter of the late centenarian Fred and June (Cook) Yates of Blaine.

Born on April 10, 1964, in Bellingham, WA, Tami spent her childhood boating in the San Juans, hiking, playing tennis, and enjoying fun-filled summer days at Camp Firwood on Lake Whatcom, where she made sacred, lifelong friends. During the winter, she homeschooled while traveling with her parents through the Southwest, Mexico, and Portugal, experiences that shaped her independence and love of adventure.

After graduating from Blaine High School in 1982, where she played softball and basketball, cheered on the varsity squad, and skied, Tami attended SST Travel Academy in San Diego, CA. She soon embarked on a career - and a life - with courage, love, resilience, and an adventurous spirit.

ADVENTUROUS SPIRIT

In 1984, Tami joined the early team at America West Airlines in Phoenix, AZ, where she worked as a flight attendant and embraced the energy of a growing airline. She loved supporting and sharing in the travel adventures of others.

Moving back to the Pacific Northwest in the late '80s to settle down and start a family, Tami initially worked with Bellingham Travel and then moved into group sales with an awesome team at Mutual Travel. The '80s were wonderful.

With the birth of her only child, Valerie, in 1992, Tami started and operated Portside Cruise & Tours, a home-based travel business focused on land and sea experiences. She and Valerie often led clients on group trips, sharing their love for exploring faraway destinations. The two hiked nearly every day - local Bellingham parks, Squamish's Stawamus Chief, and Whistler trails in the summertime - joyfully pushing themselves to stay healthy and never taking the easy path.

Tami's travels continued to expand: Germany with her nephew Brian as the Wall was coming down; Hawaii with family; Alaska, where she worked one summer in her younger days. In winter, she skied Whistler or Mt. Baker every chance she got. The '90s could not have been better.

LOVE

A single mom, Tami skied into the 2000s with the Bellingham Ski Club, forming new golden friendships while mastering the runs at Whistler, child in tow. She met her husband, Jim, in Whistler, a cherished place for them as they were later engaged and married there. The couple settled in Evergreen, CO, discovering the majestic Rocky Mountains and sharing their love for skiing, hiking, and adventure travel with family and friends.

Tami expanded her entrepreneurial spirit in the late 2000s, founding Peak-to-Creek, LLC, and developing five Colorado resort rentals. As one of Airbnb's early Superhosts, she welcomed hundreds of guests with warmth and enthusiasm. It was a decade of pure joy

In 2010, the couple moved to Lake Bluff, IL, for four wonderful years. Tami joined the Lake Bluff/Lake Forest Newcomers Group, made lasting friendships, and embraced Chicago and the Midwest. The decade also included serious sailing adventures off the coasts of British Columbia, Slovenia, Croatia, the Greek islands, and even socially distanced sailing during COVID in Turkey in 2021. The best First Mate ever.

By 2013, Tami and Jim were back in Colorado, with their new home in Keystone providing instant access to world-class hiking trails, ski runs, and good cheer. They joined the Dillon Yacht Club, sailed Gunner's Mate in local regattas (an excuse to enjoy the post-race BBQs), and volunteered as Mountain Hosts at Keystone Resort. Great times with new and old friends in the high country.

COURAGE AND RESILIENCE

Tami's health journey shifted dramatically over the years as she charted her own course. She went entirely plant-based, researched and initiated integrated health treatments to complement her select use of Western medicine, and, in 2018, began living six months a year in her adopted home of Lagos, Portugal.

Portugal offered Tami a wellness lifestyle of healthy choices, daily hikes, naturopathic physicians, Lolita's massages, and European getaways - not as a tourist, but as a guest.

Toward the end of her life, Tami and Jim moved home to Blaine to be surrounded by an extraordinary support system of golden friends and nearby family, along with her holistic care team and the exceptional short-term care staff at St. Joseph Hospital. Tami stepped up once again, throwing everything she had at her progressing cancer - for the eighth time since high school.

She treasured every single day and celebrated small wins the past nine months by sailing the San Juans again, baking with the grandkids, watching glorious sunsets over Semiahmoo Bay, and planning her next adventure - with faith.

What a journey.

Surviving are Tami's husband, Jim Vogel; her child, Valerie Zediker (Shana) of Seattle; her niece (and "adopted" daughter), Brandi Miller of Denver; stepchildren Athena Vogel (Meg) of Dublin, Ireland; Phil Vogel (Angela) of Silver Spring, MD; and Jack Vogel (Jennifer) of Chicago; grandchildren Henry, Linus, Alice, and Ollie; and her sister Sharon (Roy) Mixer of Palm Desert, CA. She was preceded in death by her sister, Sandi Miller.

A Memorial Service of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 1:00 p.m. on March 19, 2026, at Dillon Community Church, 371 E. La Bonte St., Dillon, CO, followed by interment at Dillon Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Camp Firwood's scholarship fund in memory of Tami. Learn more at thefirs.org under the "About" tab.