Alice Marie Sires

Alice Marie Lynch was born in Algona, IA, on October 13, 1949, to Dennis and Valeria (Vaske) Lynch. She passed away in the hospital in Bellevue, WA, June 1, 2021, as the result of a stroke. She was 71 years old. She is survived by her husband, Gary Sires; four children, MaryAnn, Paul, Joseph and Daniel; and five siblings, Jean Schmidt, Gerald Lynch, Philip Lynch, Sandra Welp, Shirley Chelleen. Alice grew up in and around the farming community of Bancroft, IA. She earned a BA in Psychology from Briar Cliff College, Sioux City, IA, and graduated with a teaching certificate in 1971. She settled in Pullman, WA, after graduation. There she met and married Gary in 1972. They lived and worked in Richland, WA, Kent, WA, Honolulu, HI, Issaquah, WA, Mercer Island, WA, and finally Newcastle, WA. In 1997, they started adopting babies from Cambodia. Over the course of seven years and six trips to Cambodia they adopted four beautiful babies, a girl and three boys. The children brought out the best in Alice and loving them and raising them was the fulfilment of her life. Alice homeschooled the kids from elementary through high school. The two youngest are still in college. Even though her health was poor, she maintained a cheerful attitude and never stopped serving her family to the end. Alice enjoyed teaching, cooking, gardening and sewing. She had a great sense of humor and always had a smile on her face and a joyful attitude. She was a good listener and had a real sense of concern for others, their problems, their interests, their desires, and their feelings. She was always ready to offer encouragement, sympathy, and assistance to those who needed it. She taught her children to value their faith in God and backed it up with her personal example. She was a good daughter, sister, wife, and mother. She will be greatly missed.