Kara Jean Hamilton Lasch is remembered with love after she passed away June 3, 2018, in Grand Island, N.Y., after a 3 week diagnosis of melanoma.
Born July 22, 1977, in Chehalis, Wash., Kara attended Chehalis public schools graduating in the Top 10 from W. F. West in 1996. She continued her education at Western Washington University in Bellingham, completing a bachelor of arts degree in education in 2002, majoring in math and minoring in German. Her friends fondly remember her as the “Pi Forever” girl as she memorized “Pi” to the 47th digit.
Although life seems cut too short for Kara at age 40, she lived twice as much life in half the time. In her youth, she trained eight years at Olympia Gymnastics Academy where she won numerous awards in local and state competitions. Her Christian faith advanced during high school with her involvement in church youth activities. Her adventures continued after college, traveling solo to Germany to practice speaking German and working kitchen duty in a castle in Austria. She also traveled to Hong Kong and China, attended a bible conference in Malaysia, worked in the mission field in Jeffreys Bay, South Africa and fulfilled her student teaching requirement in Cognac, Australia.
She liked to master various jobs, and while attending college her summers were spent as a staff member of “On the Edge Adventures”, leading white-water rafting and rock climbing expeditions. With a fondness of the outdoors, she later joined Olympia Mountaineers. Other jobs included production at Blue Sea Systems in Bellingham, hospitality at Sportsman’s Cove Lodge in Alaska, substitute teaching in area schools, and a legislative aide for the senate during four consecutive sessions. In 2013, Kara completed an apprenticeship to become a certified residential appraiser for Hamilton Appraisals. Additionally, she studied and became proficient in American sign language.
Kara was devoted to Olympia Bible Presbyterian Church where she taught Sunday school and took on the role of an official greeter. At a church conference in 2014, Kara met her love, Eric Lasch, of Buffalo, N.Y. They were married May 9, 2015, at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Chehalis and lived in Amherst, N.Y., where Kara was employed by M & T Bank. It gave her great joy to be “Grandma Kara” to six step-grandchildren.
Those who knew Kara can understand that the quality of existence far exceeded the quantity of time. Her happy smile brought so much joy to others as she reached out with encouragement and hope to anyone she met. Kara lived her life to the fullest and her highest calling.
In addition to her husband, Eric, Kara is survived by her parents, Susan Hamilton and Scott and Lori Hamilton of Chehalis; sister, Krista Hamilton of Chehalis; grandmother, Edwina Mielke of Davenport, Wash.; mother-in-law, Helen Lasch of N.Y.; step-daughter, Stephanie (Dan) Anger of Portville, N.Y.; step-daughter, Julia (Don) LoVullo of Grand Island, N.Y.; and step-grandchildren, Jacob and Luke Anger, and Nathanael, Elizabeth, Samuel and Peter LoVullo. She also leaves behind numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, in-laws and friends.
She was preceded in death by her grandparents, Ernest and Bernice Hamilton of Chehalis, and George Mielke of Davenport, Wash.
A celebration of life memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m., Saturday, June 23, 2018, at Calvary Chapel, 919 Division Street NW, Olympia, Wash., 98502, officiated by Tito Lyro, Kara’s pastor from Olympia Bible Presbyterian Church. On June 6, Kara was laid to rest at South Wales Cemetery in N.Y., followed by a celebration of life memorial service at the Grand Island Bible Presbyterian Church in N.Y.
