Ilene Edith Kromm

Ilene E. Kromm, 89, Bolles Rd., died May 24, 2012 at Walla Walla General Hospital.

Ilene was born January 20, 1923 at Lancaster, Washington to Ira Fulton Cook & Edith Louisa Bowen Cook. She attended Ewan Grade School until the age of 12 and Pine City High School.

On December 12, 1939, she married Harry Kromm in Steptoe, Washington. They worked many years with farmers in the Steptoe and Endicott area. The family moved to Coeur d’Alene where they ran a dairy farm with one of her brothers. Returning to Endicott, the Kromms ran a restaurant and teen center.

Harry & Ilene began working at Grote Farms in 1954 in the Clyde area. He was manager & she was secretary and cook. Together, they worked there 29 years. They retired & lived three years in Long Beach, Washington and then moved to their son & daughter-in-law’s farm outside Waitsburg.

She was a member of Waitsburg Presbyterian Church, a member of the Skyline Snowmobile Club and a former member of the Dayton Yacht Club.

Survivors include her sons, Randy & his wife Lenore Kromm and Jerry Kromm; a daughter, Sharon & son-in-law, Bill Carter all of Waitsburg; 2 sisters, Neomi Morasch of Spokane and Donna Rae Morasch of Prescott; 15 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Harry; 4 brothers, Marold Cook, Melvin Cook, Ivan Cook & Neil Cook and 1 sister, Neva Hargrave.

The Graveside Funeral Service will be held at 10:00 AM on Friday, June 1, 2012 at Mountain View Cemetery in the Elks Rest Section. The Memorial Funeral Service will follow at 11:30 AM at the Waitsburg Presbyterian Church with Reverend Bret Moser officiating. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Mary Regional Cancer Center of Charity of Choice through the Herring Groseclose Funeral Home, 315 W. Alder, Walla Walla, WA.