Mavis Helen Kalmbach

Mavis Kalmbach passed away on February 8, 2016, in Bremerton, WA. Born on March 12, 1927, to Fred and Muriel Pommier in Burke County, North Dakota, she was the youngest of five children. She grew up with her sister and three brothers in Lignite, North Dakota, where she attended a one-room school. Her father was a farmer and took great pride in his team of horses used on the farm. Her mother was the postmistress which was a highly respected position in the community.

After high school, Mavis joined her sister and her husband in Chicago where she waitressed for a while. Upon returning to North Dakota after World War II ended, she lived in Kenmare where she met Edward Kalmbach when he was home on leave from the army. They married on May 7, 1946, and began their life together that lasted almost sixty-four years until Ed’s death in January of 2010.

Since Ed was registered to attend the North Dakota State School of Science in Wahpeton, North Dakota, the fall of 1946, they lived there the first two years they were married while Ed completed a two-year degree program in refrigeration and air conditioning. Their oldest son, Michael Anthony was born there. Upon completion of Ed’s schooling, they moved to Minot, North Dakota, where their second son, Edward Lewis, Jr., was born. Mavis was a stay-at-home Mom during this time, and a third son was born in Minot, Robert Marvin.

It was very difficult to make a living during the late forties, so Ed made the difficult decision to come out to Washington to look for work leaving a pregnant Mavis in North Dakota with their three sons. Once he found work in the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and earned enough money for train fare, he sent it to Mavis so she and their sons could start a new life together with him in Bremerton. Thanksgiving week of 1951, a very courageous Mavis, who was six months pregnant, boarded a train for Seattle with her three sons who were four years old, three years old, and one and a half years old, and set out to join her husband. As the train neared Seattle, Mavis thought to herself, “ What if Ed isn't there when we arrive? I don't know a soul out here and I have very little money left. What will I do?”. Of course, Mavis had nothing to worry about – Ed was waiting for his family at King Street Station as planned. Three months later their daughter Diana Kay was born in Bremerton.

Mavis was a stay-at-home Mom often babysitting friends’ children and doing ironing for people to earn some extra money for her family. She was active in PTA, was a den leader for her sons’ Cub Scouts, and was a team Mom for PeeWee teams her sons played on.

In 1959, she started working outside the home at the Norge Laundromat and Dry Cleaners. She very much enjoyed working with the public and took great pride in keeping things clean and assisting others with their laundry. Although she worked outside the home, Mavis still found time to attend her children’s activities, sew costumes for her daughter’s baton recitals, and prepare home-cooked meals and baked goods for her family.

A number of years later, Mavis again stopped working and focused on her family and home. By this time, she was a Grandma, a role that she relished. Her home was decorated special for each month of the year much to the delight of her grandchildren, and she was always making special items for them whether it be something to play with or clothes for them.

In 1973, Ed and Mavis opened the Flower Cart in Silverdale and worked together for ten years to build that business after Ed retired from working in the shipyard. In the early 1980’s, Ed and Mavis, along with their sons, purchased property on Wooten Lake where they very much enjoyed years of family gatherings and making memories for their children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and their friends.

One highlight of Mavis’s life was a trip she and Ed made with Ed’s oldest sister and her husband. Together they drove an RV across the United States and then traveled down the east coast visiting many states and interesting places along the way.

Ed and Mavis took great pride in their home. Having grown up in the extremely hard times of the Great Depression, it was important to them to have a well maintained home both inside and out, and they knew how to make a dollar go a long way. Their home and yard were a labor of love shared by both. The inside was immaculate and updated, and the yard was like a park. Their grandchildren and great grandchildren spent many hours playing in the yard and helping Grandma and Grandpa bake cookies and do yard work.

Mavis and Ed were very involved in their grandchildren and great grandchildren’s lives. They babysat as needed as well as for enjoyment, attended their games, and took care of them when they were sick. They equipped their house with fun and interesting things to do so the children always looked forward to going to Grandma and Grandpa’s. The great grandchildren range in age from nineteen years to nine months since in 2015, Mavis was in her glory once again as she became Great-Grandma to three more great granddaughters.

Both Mavis and Ed enjoyed membership in the American Legion. They were very patriotic and proud to be Americans. Bingo at the Legion was one of their favorite activities for many years.

The event Mavis and Ed looked forward to the most each year was Christmas Eve. They spent weeks making Christmas cookies, candies, popcorn balls, and other goodies. Each of their children’s families received containers of every kind of cookie and goodie they prepared as well as an ample amount to eat whenever they visited. Every room in the house was decorated as well as the yard and outside of the house. On Christmas Eve, the entire extended family and friends, around forty people, would converge on their home to eat a huge meal and open gifts. It was a very special time for all.

After Ed passed away in 2010, Mavis stayed in the family home until the spring of 2013, when she made the difficult decision to sell the house and move to a senior living facility. She very much enjoyed the life she found at Bay Point where she made new friends, did bead work, played Rummikub and Bingo, and went on many excursions including whale watching. Her family is grateful for the wonderful care she received from the Bay Point staff.

Mavis is survived by her children: Mike (Jeri) Kalmbach, Ed Kalmbach, and Bob (Diane) Kalmbach all of Bremerton, and Diana (Bill) Erickson of Walla Walla, WA, eight grandchildren: Thomas Kalmbach, Kristin Halsted, Lorrie Kalmbach-Ehlers, Jeremy Kalmbach, Christopher Kalmbach, Brian Kalmbach, Charles Broughton, and Rachel Coleman, four step grandchildren: Clint Helander, Wes Helander, Melinda Zirkle, and Chris Erickson, and twelve great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, and two daughter-in-laws: Mary Ann Kalmbach and Debbie Kalmbach.

There will be a celebration of life ceremony at the Rill Chapel, 1151 Mitchell Avenue, Port Orchard, WA 98366, Saturday, February 13, 2016, at 11:00 A.M. The family asks that memorial donations be made in Mavis’s name to a charity of the donor’s choice in care of Rill Chapel.