Hilma Mary ( Holland) Kaye

July 25, 1952 - April 28, 2022

Hilma Mary (Holland) Kaye July 25 1952 - April 28, 2022 Hilma Kaye passed away on April 28, 2022, after surviving eight years with ovarian cancer. She was born in 1952 in Providence, R.I. In 1970, she graduated from East Providence High School. After high school, she worked for New England Telephone. In 1971, she married John (Tim) Kaye. They had dated throughout high school. The following year, with $250 in pocket, they took a five-week trip out west and back. It opened up new horizons. The following year they moved to Oregon. Hilma and her husband had developed a passion for climbing and would climb nearly 500 summits together, including most of the major NW peaks. Hilma worked for Pacific Northwest Bell in Portland. After starting as a clerk, she was promoted to management, where she held several positions. She left the phone company in 1981, after the birth of her first son Russell. William was born three years later. When both children were school age, Hilma started college at the age of 38. She got her bachelors from Portland State and soon followed up with her Masters in Education. She taught middle school in Portland and Tigard/Tualatin school districts. She loved teaching, especially sixth graders. Being a natural storyteller, her classes were lively and often full of surprises. She retired from teaching in 2006. Always looking for more adventure, she taught 6th graders in Taiwan for a year. After Taiwan, she and her husband moved to Corvallis. There, she supervised student teachers part-time for OSU and volunteered for several non-profits. Hilma loved to travel and visited all fifty states. Her favorite places were the Puget Sound and Idaho’s Sawtooths. She also loved visiting Yorkshire, where her husband’s family lived. Her hobbies included art, sewing, cooking and especially anything outdoors (bugs, birds, tide pools, plants). Hilma had many friends. She was quick to smile and enjoyed a good laugh. She always tackled any problem head on, typical of her straight forward approach to life. She is survived by her husband Tim of 50 years, son Russell and his wife Montana, son William and his wife Sarah, four grandchildren, Anna, Elliott, Dorothy and Paul; siblings Roberta Boucher (husband Tom Boucher, children Jillian and Thomas), James Holland (children Robert, Kristine, and Peter) and Kate Thompson (husband Wes Thompson, children Kimberly and Matthew). She gives many thanks to the caring people at Willamette Valley Cancer Institute. In lieu of flowers, please make any donations in Hilma’s name to Oregon Cancer Foundation. (https://www.oregoncancerfoundation.org/) . A celebration of life is planned for Friday, May 27, 1:00 pm at McMenamin’s Kennedy School. For more information or to share memories visit www.demossdurdan.com