Obituary of Alice Reay Innes

Alice Reay Innes passed away on October 2nd, 2009, in her home in Auburn, Washington. She was born February 3rd 1918 in Tacoma, Washington to Myrtle Geer Reay and Stephen Atkinson Reay. In WWII she worked as a draftsman, drawing ships for the U S Navy. During that time, she met Rucker Innes, and married him June 30, 1945 in Tacoma, Washington. They had three children, Sally, Rucker and Janet Innes. Before the war she worked for Sears, doing fashion illustrations for their advertisements. When she volunteered for defense work they said, “Can you draw?” She said “yes”. She did not realize what kind of drawing they hoped for, so she learned on the job. Rucker returned to the military after he finished veterinary school, which kept the family on the move until he retired in 1966. She lived in California, Japan, and Georgia, as well as Washington State. It was a challenging life, and required an ability to adjust frequently to new circumstances. Her greatest pleasures, other than her family, were her music, her painting, and her horseback riding. She also enjoyed flower arranging, one of the skills she picked up in Japan. She played piano, painted watercolors and sumi, and rode with great skill. When her husband retired to Washington State in 1966, she was able to continue painting, and to keep horses. She kept her season tickets to the Pacific Northwest Ballet and the Symphony for many years. She went back to work as a draftsman, and worked on many Pacific North West Buildings. She was also committed to United Friends Group Homes, and did whatever she could to help out there. Her paintings were always popular at the auctions, and any family function found her there helping out for as long as she was able. Her daughter Sally Tomson and husband Robert, son Rucker Innes, and wife Deborah, daughter Janet Innes, Grandchildren Tom Innes, Matthew Tomson and Stephen Innes, and great-grandchildren and Nieces and Nephews will all miss her greatly. Please share in writing your favorite memories of Alice with us. In Lieu of flowers, the family suggests the following: Donations to: United Friends Group Homes P.O. Box 17017 Seattle, Washington 98127-0717