Service Details

Family Memorial was held on March 10th, 2019

The Story

Beloved Wife, Mother, Nana, Nonnie, Great Nana,
Great-Great Nana,and Friend
November 27, 1928 - February 16, 2019

Little blue-eyed blonde curly haired Lois Marie Standafer was born in Seattle to Stephen Douglas Standafer and Roseileen Marie Hoffman Standafer. Her mother's family were Yakima Valley homesteaders. Her great-great-grandparent's Mattoon cabin still stands in Yakima, WA. Her father's people were from Kentucky. He and his 4 brothers all served at the same time in WWII. Both families were originally in this country from Virginia.

At age 5, her mother died and she became the ward of her grandparents, Edwin and Winona Hoffman. At age 7, they moved to Juneau, Alaska. The story goes that a 14 year old driver whose dad owned Yellow Cab, picked up her family from the steamship and took them to their new home. Ten years later, he'd be her husband. He'd chuckle that he remembered her because she looked like Shirley Temple.

Even though she had a loving extended family and a network of lifelong friends, she felt the stinging loss of her parents. She lived in her books and movies. She found her name too common and added perceived sophistication by tacking on an e and an m in high school. She was 17 when she married handsome Army Air Corps Lt. James V. Hickey (remember the cabbie?), newly returned from the war. She muffed senior year and received a blank diploma. It ate at her.

After divorcing and moving to Seattle in the 60's she chose Amy as her start-over name.

She was lovely, friendly, tiny, feisty, artistic, determined, and had a brilliant and curious mind for all things esoteric. She rose as high as most uneducated women could in her time. She started as a cord board telephone operator and her skill at shorthand and typing allowed her to become an accomplished executive secretary. Her varied career led her to supporting lauded scientists and engineers. At Ramo-Wooldridge in Los Angeles she was privy to cutting-edge top secret aerospace and intercontinental ballistic missile projects, at Ketchikan Pulp Mill she held her own with chemical engineers, worked for execs at the Boeing Company, supported the owner of Penberthy Electromelt, renowned for industrial glass innovation, and was even secretary in Chicago to Andy Granatelli, CEO of the STP corporation and noted Indy 500 car racing figure.

She finished her working years as a medical transcriptionist at the University of Washington, which allowed her to take classes, one or two at a time, focused on her loves of Archaeology and Anthropology. Two great joys were a summer spent on an dig in Eastern Washington and a tour to The Great Pyramids of Egypt.

There's a love story. Jim and Amy (he called her Lois-e) found their way back to each other in 1994 and created a sweet life together in Oregon until his death in 2006. After his passing, she returned to Seattle and buckled down on her studies. In 2008 at age 79 she graduated from the University of Washington on the same day as her grandson, Drew!

In later years, she joyfully reunited with her half-sister, Betty Standafer Shaw. She delighted in and treasured her 2 children, Pat and Bridget (Tim), 5 grandchildren, Neil Getty, Riley Cole (Bricky), Drew McMillan (Andréa), Christopher (Emily) and Erin Hickey, 6 great-grandchildren, Tommy and Ally Getty, Avery Collins-Getty, Caitlyn Cleven Patrick (Brandon) Alex Cleven, Ewan McMillan, and one great-great granddaughter, Hazely Patrick. She was tremendously delighted by and proud of the thoughtful, kind and GOOD people they are.

She loved as her own the family that grew from her children's relationships and marriages...sons and daughters-in-law, their parents, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, cousins, boyfriends, girlfriends. She adored and was admired by her primary care physician, oncologist, infusion team, case manager, acupuncturist, hospice social worker, nurse, and chaplain. Everyone who had the good fortune of spending time with Amy felt heard, appreciated, and had their eyes and hearts opened to music, literature, history, possibilities...as well as finding a dear and trusted friend for life.

Amy was an avid learner and reader. Profound hearing loss and macular degeneration changed how she was able to continue her thirst for knowledge, which she pursued till nearly her last day.
She would be pleased if remembrances were made to the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library
https://bit.ly/BooksinMemoryofAmyHickey