Kristie Lee (Bigelow) Maupin passed away on June 25, 2024, after a short battle with cancer. She was previously a three-time cancer survivor and had a clean bill of health for the last three years. Kristie was born on June 14, 1944, in Aberdeen, Washington to Olyve (Cross) Bigelow and James Lee Bigelow.
Kristie graduated from Aberdeen Weatherwax High School in 1962, and was part of a classmate group that she loved keeping in touch with throughout the years. She married Dennis Maupin in Aberdeen in December 1966, and had two daughters, Michelle Barre and Melanie Stratton. The two raised their girls in Cosmopolis, Washington before divorcing in 1980. Kristie continued to live in Cosmopolis throughout the remainder of her life and loved her small-town community.
Kristie worked for various employers throughout the years and maintained a close relationship with a special group of friends from the Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Department, nicknamed “The Posse,” that she continued to meet with for lunch. She was an active and dedicated member of both the Cosmopolis Lions Club where she volunteered at many events, as well as the Aberdeen Elks where she enjoyed Bingo and Joker Poker nights with her friends and family. Kristie loved treating others, and two of her favorite recipes included pistachio pudding salad that she was known to make for Lions Club dinners, as well as her famous pumpkin bars that were a staple at every family gathering. For many years, Kristie also volunteered her time at Grays Harbor Community Hospital (Harbor Regional Health) and was an active member of the Grays Harbor Relay for Life to whom she donated a beautiful storage trailer in her sister’s name.
Kristie was truly the best grandmother (Nan) and great-grandmother (GG). There was rarely a time when her smiling face wasn’t in the crowd at dance recitals, swim meets, soccer games, volleyball games, cheering events, band concerts, and T-ball games supporting and cheering her grandkids on. While her grandchildren attended Cosmopolis Elementary, Kristie volunteered in their classrooms for many years sporting her “World’s Best Grandma” sweater. To say she was proud of her grandchildren would be an understatement as she would tell everyone about their accomplishments. They were the light of her life.
Kristie is preceded in death by her mother, father, and sister, Gretchen LaBreck. She is survived by her daughters and grandchildren, Alicia (Anthony) Vodros, Kelsey Norvell, Jairek Barre, Ariana Barre, and great-grandchildren Axel and Addison Vodros. In 1997 she was reunited with her first daughter Lynn (Enck) Nelson and has kept in contact with her over the last 27 years.
A celebration of life is planned for Friday, July 12, 2024, at 3 p.m. at the Cosmopolis Lions Club. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Cosmopolis Lions Club, P.O. Box 49, Cosmopolis, WA 98537. Please visit www.fernhillfuneral.com to share your memories with the family. Arrangements have been entrusted to Twibell’s Fern Hill Funeral Home in Aberdeen, Washington.
