1952-2024
“A joyful heart is good medicine” Proverbs 18:24
Patti Lee Fluke, age 72, departed in peace on the evening of August 30, 2024 at Auburn Medical Center. Patti was born on March 18, 1952 at the Renton Community Hospital to Arthur and Maude Fluke. As a young girl she was a dreamer, very imaginative and an avid reader. She loved and identified with the novel, Alice in Wonderland.
Patti is survived by her three daughters: Amanda Parker- Jones, Maegan Parker Brooks, and Plum Isabella Parker, by her two grandchildren Sawyer and Evalyn Brooks and by her sister JoAnne Anderson. She was preceded in death by her husband of forty years, Gregory Parker and her father and mother, Arthur and Maude Fluke. Her daughter, Emily Jo Parker and her brother Kelly Fluke also preceded her in death.
Patti attended Kent Meridian High School from 1967-1970, where she met and fell in love with the love of her life, Greg Parker. He stole her heart by painting her a picture of the Pisces astrological sign that they shared. With that romantic gift and a kiss on the cheek, at French Field they were in love for life. The couple attended Fairhaven College in Bellingham. Patti graduated from the University of Washington with a Bachelor of Arts degree. They also spent time in Lawrence Kansas where Patti pursued her Master’s degree and she taught for three years. She was an excellent student, highly intelligent and determined.
The couple cherished their early years together spent in Silver Creek, Washington where they had their favorite goat named Pan, chickens and a pony. They worked together at a sawmill, where Patti was one of the only women to work there and was known to work harder than many of the men! She also worked as a Park Ranger at Ike Kinswa State Park.
In 1978 they moved back to Kent, Washington, where they were married, had their first daughter, and started a family. Patti lovingly raised three daughters while running her own daycare, waitressing, and attended the University of Washington to obtain her teaching certificate. She taught high school honors English, American Literature and Debate. She began teaching at Kennedy High School and then taught at Eastside Catholic.
In 1993 she began teaching at Kentwood High School in the Kent School District, the very same year her eldest daughter Amanda began attending Kentwood. She was loved by all her students, as she showed her true passion for teaching. She would say, “subject matter doesn’t matter, kids make all the difference.” She considered it a privilege to teach, and she genuinely liked her students. Her students shared the same passion for her. One student said “Ms. Fluke is the best teacher of all time. She is so friendly and positive!” Another student said, “there is just something that sets this woman apart from other teachers. It is her knowledge of the subject she teaches and her ability to pass that knowledge onto her students. Fluke’s sincerity of character sets her apart from other teachers around the world.”
After 7 years teaching at Kentwood a new high school, Kentlake, opened closer to home. She began teaching there, where her daughters Maegan and Emily Parker attended. She taught at Kentlake for 14 years and felt blessed to be working at the same high school, that her daughters attended. She said with a smile on her face and with the green sparkle of her eyes, “my greatest love is of my accomplished daughters. They are good girls; I have good girls!”
She retired from teaching at age 57, where she devoted the rest of her years to raising her granddaughter Plum Parker. She adopted Plum and considered her, as her fourth daughter. Spending quality time with her daughters was the pride and delight of her later years. She also enjoyed taking family trips to Kauai. She was a beloved Sunday school teacher at Kent United Methodist Church. She was a devoted mother and teacher, with a beautiful soul, quick wit, and a generous, optimistic, and warm-hearted spirit!
Patti gave profound love, joyful making, and a sense of wonder in her 72 years on this earth. A person like Patti comes once in a lifetime. She was always the first person to help others in need and she always put others first. She was modest, loyal, kind and completely unforgettable! She will be remembered for the deep love of her daughters, pets, and everyone she knew. She was a wonderful mother, gifted teacher, and leader, who was so proud that two of her daughters also became teachers. It is a great feat to be so empowering at what one does to have their children follow similar life paths. In recent years she dreamt of returning to Silvercreek, which she called “the land of her youth,” from 50 years earlier. The family is comforted by the belief that she has found that final peace and well-deserved respite in the house of the Lord, Heaven!
