Lorraine Evonne Muto
December 18, 1923 - March 6, 2013
Obituary
- Lorraine “Larry” Evonne MUTO
Lorraine Muto (known as Larry to family and friends), 89, passed away Wednesday, March 6, 2013.
Larry was born on her family’s farm in Nezperce, Idaho, where she lived with her parents, Lella and Herbert Booth, and her older brother, Don. She lived in Kamiah and then Kellogg, Idaho, graduating from Kellogg High School in 1940. Larry attended Northwestern Business College in Spokane, Washington, and met Herman Muto at her first job as office cashier for Greenough’s Grocery Store.
Larry and Herman were married in 1943 and moved first to Portland, Oregon, then to Seattle for Herman’s job as a pilot for Northwest Airlines. They built a home in Normandy Park in 1954 and raised their family among a wonderful group of neighbors who became good friends. Larry was an active member of the community. She helped organize neighborhood salmon bakes at the Cove, was a Camp Fire group leader for three of her daughters, and held leadership positions in Camp Fire’s Central Puget Sound Council, including coordinating candy sales (which meant that her freezer was always full of Camp Fire mints!). She has been a member of “The Sprouts,” a Washington Park Arboretum Garden Club, since 1955.
Larry went back to work at age 50 at the Highline Community College bookstore. During her 11 years at the bookstore, her co-workers became another group of lifelong friends. Each new activity after retirement, including yoga and swimming, brought a new group of friends. Larry and Herman were also active members of the Retired Northwest Pilot’s Association (RNPA) and together they published the RNPA Newsletter for 18 years.
Family and friends were Larry’s priorities and she will be dearly missed by her children, Donna Cummings (Jim), Paul Muto (Myrna), Marilyn Hovey (Mike), Marcia Muto Flynn (Jim), and Sheila Millman (Ed); 13 grandchildren; 8 grandchildren-in-law; 10 great-grandchildren; and many other relatives and friends. Larry was preceded in death by her brother, Don, and her husband of 57 years, Herman Muto.
Services will be held at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Burien at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 23, 2013.
A favorite charity was the Washington Park Arboretum in Seattle.
Very sad to hear this news…Thought’s and Prayer’s are sent you’re way..Bless you all..
Patricia Bloomfield Nathan and family
Larry was loved by all her Bookstore friends and will be missed by all of us. She will always be part of our little group.
Larry was such an inspiration to me as a newcomer at the bookstore where I met her. Our bookstore group of ladies will not be the same. She is missed by so many of us.
Larry and I were near neighbors. We bowled together many years ago and later, worked together at Highline Collge Bookstore. She was a wonderful person and a good friend whom I miss.
Although I never met Lorraine I flew may flight with Herb. He was a great guy so it must be that Lorraine was a great woman and his best friend.
I am sorry to hear of your mothers passing. I remember her as such a happy lady. I can still remember her laugh. Such a delightful person.
I didn’t know Lorraine died until today. My dad was her first cousin, Frank Collins. I loved Lorraine and Herman, though I only saw them a couple of times in person, when I visited Seattle. She was dad’s favorite cousin; he just adored her growing up. If you want to contact me, please do. I can be found through the Deseret News in Salt Lake.