Kathleen "Mama Kass" L. Robblee

Kathleen L. "Mama Kass" Robblee, 76, of Roslyn, passed away at her home on Thursday, December 16, 2021 surrounded by her daughter, grandson and loved ones.  A graveside service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, May 9, 2022 at the Roslyn Cemetery Kiosk with a reception to follow at the Roslyn Eagles.

Kass was born on May 26, 1945 in Tacoma and was adopted at a young age by John Henry & Florence Louise (Palmer) Robblee.  She was supposed to have been the baby of the family but two siblings eventually came after her which, in her words, “pissed me off.”  She grew up in the Mount Baker area of Seattle, blocks away from Lake Washington and later in the Hawthorne Hills area.  

Kass attended Roosevelt High School and later took several art classes at the University of Washington.  

Very much a free spirit, Kass was married twice and divorced twice.  As a result of those marriages, she was blessed with one son and two daughters.

Kass was a strong, independent, badass woman.  She wasn’t afraid to get dirty and take on hard work.  Her sense of humor was immense and she loved shenanigans.   Early in her career, Kass was a long haul truck driver and also spent many years as a barrel racer in Snohomish.  For many years, she and her horse, Missy, held the third best barrel racing time in Washington at 15.3 seconds.  After giving up trucking, Kass drove school bus for the Snohomish School District, a job she thoroughly enjoyed.  She loved the children and the children loved her.  After moving to Ellensburg in the early 1980’s, Kass continued driving bus for the Ellensburg School District while also working as a special services aide.  One of her favorite duties as a bus driver was taking the various sports teams to regional and state competitions.

As mentioned above, Kass had a passion for art and owned and operated CR Glass, a stained glass shop in Ellensburg for many years where she was both an artist and instructor.  She also enjoyed cross stitching, quilting, loving on her dogs, photography and exploring ghost towns.   She was a Boy Scout Den Mother and past president of the Bits & Spurs Riding Club in Snohomish. She loved music of the 50’s and was a huge Elvis fan.

Kass enjoyed traveling and was proud of visiting “almost all” of the 50 states but her favorite travel destination was Puerto Vallarta.  She visited there many times and, with each trip, would take her signature multi-colored propeller beanie hats to give to children and adults that touched her.  Aside from her family, taking these trips and giving away these beanies brought her the greatest joy.

Kass is survived by her daughters Trisha (Gustav) Hellthaler and Traci Lynn Stickler; son Ty Ian Reiff; grandchildren Cedar Elliott Hals, Kandace Reis and Karrie Woodring as well as four great grandchildren.  She is survived by her brothers Phil Robblee, Richard “Dick” Robblee, Neil Robblee and her sister Sarah Hotchkiss.  Preceded in death by her brother David Robblee.

Memorials in Kass’s honor are suggested to the Roslyn Volunteer Fire Department.

Johnston & Williams Funeral Home and Crematory of Cle Elum has been entrusted with caring for Mama Kass and her family.  Online condolences may be left at www.johnston-williams.com 

PLEASE NOTE: (January 11, 2024) -- The recording of this service has been archived and removed from our server.  If you wish to obtain a copy of this recording on a thumb drive, please contact our office.