Lyda Lea McConnell, mother of Ann Himel, Woodinville, passed away on the 9th day of December, 2012. Born in 1924 to Otto Clausing and Alice Stark in Kansas City, MO, Mrs. McConnell enjoyed 88 ½ years of a life well-lived. She died at home, surrounded by everyone she loved, including the Himel family Shiba Inu, Sasha.

After learning drafting at her family's Clausing Machine Lathe shop in Ottumwa, IA in 1942, Lyda had a successful career as a dress designer for Dorsa Dresses in St. Louis, MO. She then moved to Denver, CO, where she met her husband, Hal McConnell, an elementary school principal for Denver Public Schools. Married in 1959, Lyda worked drafting maps for the Colorado Highway Department. In 1962, Hal & Lyda started a family. Son, Dale and daughter, Ann occupied much of Lyda's life from the early 1960s through the early 1980s. Lyda then returned to work in the oil business drafting underground elevations of oil for Cities Service Oil Company in Denver's Oil Boom Era. When the boom went bust, Lyda took the opportunity to retire.

Lyda was a gifted artist, producing many works in charcoal, pen & ink, watercolor and most recently in pastels, not to mention many original outfits and home fashions created through the years. Lyda, Hal & family enjoyed countless trips to the Colorado Rockies for fly fishing, camping, hiking, or simply a scenic drive and a picnic. Lyda was fortunate to enjoy extensive travels throughout the United States, as well as to England, Ireland, Scotland, France, Italy, and Germany. In recent years, golf, painting and writing classes filled Lyda's days. Lyda was an avid history buff and loved to read. Her life's philosophy was 'live and let live,' and so declared she "never knew what it felt like to be under stress."

Lyda came to Seattle from the Denver area in 2009 to live with daughter Ann and family. Still bitten by the travel bug, she was able to fall in love with the Puget Sound region's infinite shades of green, the majestic Cascades, the Washington coastline, and the pastoral quiet of Woodinville's Sammamish River. Lyda also loved visiting the tasting rooms, discovering a crisp Riesling to be her favorite white wine. Some of her preferred pastimes were to drive down to Golden Gardens or Carkeek Park to look over the water, marvel at the marine wildlife and enjoy excellent people watching. Bloody Marys at Ray's in Ballard or lunch at Woodinville's Molbak's also vied for her attention.

Lyda is preceded in death by husband Hal McConnell, granddaughter Sarah Ann Rachel Himel, and brother, Dale Clausing (Minnesota). She is survived by son Dale McConnell of California, daughter Ann & husband, Phil, and her grandchildren: Petty Officer Third Class Michael Himel (Ft. Meade), Tyler Himel (Colorado), and Catherine Himel (Woodinville). Lyda is also survived by two sisters, Bonnie Sauer of Illinois and Ellie Gilfoyle of Colorado, sister-in-law Gege Weer of Colorado, as well as 13 nieces and nephews and 20 great-nieces and great-nephews.




Memorial Service
The Himel family will hold an invited open house in Lyda's honor, and her memorial service will be held in Colorado in 2013.