Betty Lou Kaija

Betty passed away at the age of 94 on March 23, 2026. She was born in Iowa to Ben and Marie Reimer and was the third child of 8. She grew up in Danbury, Iowa and moved to Tacoma, Washington. She attended St. Leo's High School. She met and fell in love with Stanley Kaija and they were married for 46 years until his death in 1996. She was a homemaker until her children were all in school and she went to work for the Tacoma School District as a cook and baker at Wainwright Elementary and Hunt Junior High until retirement.

Betty will be missed by her loving family, daughters Susan Kaija (Larry Hellwich) Cindy Coffey (Steve) and Connie Pederson (Rick), sons, Craig (Wendy) and Kevin (Kim). Her 15 grandchildren, Eric Faker (Suzanne), Ryan (Lauren), Adam (Amber), Justin (Jessica), Jordan (Jamie) and Alex Coffey, Sean, Nick (Sonja) and Kyle (Brianne) Pederson, Jacob (Alex), Zachary (Marlayna) and Benjamin (Kailey) Kaija and Olivia, Lauren and Gabe Kaija. She had 10 great-grandchildren, Cole Faker, Brock, Mason and Camden Coffey, Dillon, Ethan and Kaysen Pederson, and Beau, Georgia and Parker Kaija. She is survived by her sisters, Donna Dubeau, Lois Brown, Marilyn Snarski and Alice Nelson, and 24 nieces and nephews whom she loved dearly and was very close to all.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Stanley, her parents, Ben and Marie Reimer, brothers Cecil and Gabriel Reimer and sister Bernadine Wartenbe.