MARY KIRKHAM

Mary Ann Kirkham  
Born in Washington, DC, and spent her youth in Silver Spring, MD., died April 10, 2020, in Bellevue, WA. She was 97.She was born Mary Ann Reynolds on October 8, 1922, to William Henry Reynolds Sr., the co-founder of the American Instrument Co. in Maryland, and Irene Cook Reynolds.Mary graduated from the Academy of the Holy Names in 1940 and from the College of Notre Dame in Baltimore in 1944. She earned a Master's Degree in Social Work from The Catholic University of America in 1948.She was a child welfare worker in Rockville and Cumberland, Md., from 1945 to 1948. While employed as a social worker in Toledo, OH, in the late 1940s, she met Dr. Lindsay Jack Kirkham. They married on July 15, 1952, and moved to Mason City, IA.During her years in Iowa, Mary was active in many organizations and in 1955, was one of the founders of the Mental Health Center of North Iowa. She would later work for the center as a therapist from 1973 to 1977.Later in life, she and her husband also lived in Clear Lake, Iowa; Honolulu, Hawaii; Sun City West, AZ, and the greater Seattle area.Mary had many interests, but her greatest was for acting. As a child, she frequently performed dramatic readings, and once appeared before the governor of Maryland.A loving mother, devoted spouse, and good friend, Mary was a terrific storyteller and with a wonderful sense of humor, and her visits back home to the Washington area were always a special event for her nieces and nephews. After moving to Hawaii in the 1980s, Mary studied acting at the University of Hawaii and later was nominated for Best Actress in the state's Po'okela theater awards three years in a row, winning twice. In 1985, she landed a small speaking role in an episode of "Magnum, P.I." After the move to Seattle in the late 1990s, Mary was heavily involved in the early years of her grandchildren's homeschooling, teaching them French and coaching them in acting.She was preceded in death by her husband on August 19, 2016, and by sister, Elizabeth Reynolds Hanson, and brothers, William H. Reynolds Jr. and Joseph Reynolds.She is survived by children, Clifford of Seattle, William of Elizabeth, NJ, Richard of Bellevue, WA., Maura of Madison, WI, Jeffrey (and daughter-in-law Eileen) of Seattle, Christine (Tina) of Salt Lake City, UT, and Douglas of Bothell, WA; and by grandchildren, Kaille Kirkham of Tokyo, Japan, and Campion Kirkham of Seattle.Her ashes will be interred at Purdy Walters of Floral Hills cemetery in Lynnwood, WA. A memorial service will be planned for a future date.