EDMONDS — Genevieve Conklin was well-known in Snohomish County.
She and her husband ran the Conklin Appliance store in Lynnwood. Whether it was a local charity, the Everett Golf and Country Club or a dance at a social event, Conklin’s life was deeply intertwined with the community.
She was 86 when she died at her Edmonds home on Feb. 5.
Conklin, then Moore, moved with her parents and siblings from Nebraska to Washington. She graduated from Yakima High School and moved to the Tri-Cities.
It was at a dance in Pasco that she met a young sailor named Newman. They married in 1945 and celebrated each of their 64 anniversaries by dancing together, Conklin’s family wrote in her obituary.
Conklin’s beloved husband passed away in 2009. Her son, Gary, lost his battle with cancer last year.
After they married, the young couple moved to the Alderwood area, where Newman grew up, and began to build a life together.
“She was always a working mom, but she always made time to be involved with our lives,” said Barbara Shadduck, Conklin’s daughter.
Conklin was working outside the home at a time when few women were doing that, Shadduck said. She spent many summers and weekends helping out at her parents’ store and helping take care of her younger brother.
People coming into the store used to tell her she looked a lot like her mother.
Conklin and her husband were generous people. They started off with nothing and never let themselves forget that, said Janette Cline, Conklin’s granddaughter. Even after all those years, all the success in her life, her grandmother recycled paper napkins.
“My mother was a product of depression and we always teased her about saving things,” Shadduck said. “It was always inspiring to see how my parents and others of the same generations were able to overcome that.”
Conklin was a founding member of the Lynnwood chapter of Soroptimist, an international organization for professional women. It was important to her.
“It was a good outlet for her that was completely hers, and she enjoyed that,” Shadduck said.
Conklin and her husband were active in many charitable organizations, helping to support the community.
When the kids grew up, the couple took up dancing again, Shadduck said. They loved dancing at social functions and were good at it.
They were great parents and role models,” Shadduck said. “They were special people. I’ve always admired their strength.”
Katya Yefimova: 425-339-3452, kyefimova@heraldnet.com.
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