Nancy Louise Burlingame
April 17, 1939 - July 17, 2025
Obituary
Nancy Louise Burlingame, 86, a devoted family woman, enthusiastic adventurer, and compassionate helper, passed away peacefully on Thursday, July 17, 2025, at 4:45 AM, at Wesley Hospice in Des Moines, WA.
Born on April 17, 1939, in Harrison, Arkansas, Nancy’s early life saw her family move to Montesano, Washington, the heart of the Pacific Northwest’s logging industry. She attended Montesano schools, where she played the trumpet in the high school band and was an active member of the Theta Rho Girls Club. It was at a local dance in 1956 that she met Harry Burlingame, her future husband. Their courtship continued while Harry pursued his education at the University of Washington and Nancy completed high school and attended Grays Harbor Junior College.
Nancy and Harry married in January 1959, settling in Seattle’s Alki neighborhood. While Harry began his career at Boeing, Nancy worked in various temporary and secretarial roles. Together, they embraced the adventurous spirit of the Pacific Northwest. They joined the Seattle Mountaineers, with Nancy proudly summiting Mount Saint Helens when it still was a beautiful, symmetrical peak of some 8,000 feet. Their shared love for the outdoors truly blossomed with kayaks, joining the Washington Foldboat Club (later the Washington Kayak Club). They spent many happy years exploring whitewater rivers, saltwater coves, and islands across the Northwest, British Columbia, and Vancouver Island.
Their son, Bryan, born in 1962, was immediately included in all their adventures. Nancy often served as the dedicated shuttle driver for their kayaking and later their extensive bicycling trips with the Boeing Employee’s Bicycle Club. Discovering early cross-country skiing, they imported the finest wooden equipment from Norway, mastering waxing techniques to explore snowy mountain trails. In the 1990s, Nancy and Harry embarked on numerous “Europe Through the Back Door” trips, satisfying their curiosity for wider world exploration.
Beyond her passion for the outdoors, Nancy dedicated herself to helping others. She also found deep purpose and satisfaction in supporting others on their journeys of recovery, offering a compassionate ear and unwavering encouragement within a supportive community. Her wisdom and generosity touched countless lives.
In 2021, Nancy and Harry moved to Wesley Des Moines, a continued care retirement facility, where they enjoyed a more relaxed lifestyle with friends and group activities. Nancy will be remembered for her adventurous spirit, her unwavering support for her family’s passions, her quiet strength, and her profound generosity in helping others find their path to recovery and peace.
Nancy is survived by her beloved husband of 66 years, Harry Burlingame, and their son, Bryan Burlingame. The family will hold a private remembrance.
This is a lovely tribute to the life of a treasured friend. She will always hold a special place in our hearts.
Nancy was my neighbor and friend here at Wesley, enjoyed our monthly visits so much. Enjoyed getting to know Little Cat, her beloved cat that also became my friend. My joy was to have known Nancy for this brief time, a real gift 💝.
Nancy had such a sweet, pleasant personality. I am so happy to have known her as a friend.
I only wish I had gotten to know Nancy in the past few years and not just months. I’m glad she was able to join in with our games for such a long time. She is missed indeed.
I will always treasure the memories of our extended camping trips with Harry, Nancy and Brian. They include week long remote kayak camping on Vancouver Island’s west coast and river camping trips on the Smith River in Idaho and other rivers as well as assorted other smaller adventures, even including back country skiing.
A farm boy who grew up loving the outdoors and new adventures and a small-town girl with no previous outdoor experiences nor adventures – – what an awesome combination it was! The playlist of 66+ years of fond memories together include our first tent camping trip, ill-equipped as we were, to Sunshine Point CG at Mount Rainier in cold April 1960; our first overnight backpacking trip to Mystic Lake on Mount Rainiers’ Northside, again ill- equipped for the snow conditions on the trail, a few months later; The Mountaineers Basic Climbing Course and subsequent standing together on the summit of then 9677 ft Mount Saint Helens-back when it was a beautiful Mt Fuji -like peak; our first camping with our six month old son Bryan at Easter at the Bauery near Roche Harbor on San Juan Island-with friends sitting around the glowing campfire singing songs accompanied by harmonicas; the Jasper to Banff bicycle trip when you and your mother, running sag-wagon in our van, had stopped along the road to let Bryan, the Ellmore’s, and I listen to car radio announcement of then -President Nixon resigning; your relief at seeing the sign along the primitive road to the Selway River ID kayak put-in that said “no rattlesnakes beyond this point “; the many-many week -long saltwater kayaking trips with friends exploring the nooks and crannies of the West Coast of Vancouver Island, and the islands off the BC Coast and SW Alaska; the canoe camping/fishing trips with friends to the Smith River in Montana and the John Day in Oregon; the overnight canoe/ kayak trips in the fall on the Saulk River with the spawning salmon in the riffles; cross-country skiing for a week in Geyser Basin, Old Faithful, Yellowstone at temps as low as -40° F; the many Europe Thru the Back Door we took exploring the beautiful and unique places and people of Europe; our Church mission trip to the Yupik village of Sivuqaq (Gambell) on St Lawrence Is AK, to remodel their manse and teach vacation Bible school, with 24 hour daylight, whale and walrus bones on the beach, walrus skin boats, and Siberia in sight across the water; these are just part of the kaleidoscope of memories that flash thru my mind as I reflect on the incredible time we had together experiencing God’s Creation our way. It wasn’t always red sunsets and glowing campfires, but it was our life together and we made it work. I miss you terribly, Hon–love you!