Mary Jane Homola Koepke: June 30, 1939 – July 12, 2025

Mary Jane Homola Koepke of Coupeville passed away on July 12, 2025 at the age of 86 from natural causes with her family by her side. Born June 30, 1939 in Pasadena California, Mary was the cherished daughter of John Ring and Lillian Boudrow Ring.

As a youth, she enjoyed going to the cinema with her mother and aunts, and holding her father’s hand while he walked her to the ice cream parlor. She excelled at ballet and tap lessons and adored frequent family trips to beautiful Catalina Island.

Mary graduated from Eagle Rock High School and earned a B.A. in Education at the University of California Santa Barbara. She taught elementary school while raising her four children in Enumclaw Washington from 1963 through 1988. In 1989, she moved to Coupeville, married her loving and devoted husband of 36 years, William (Bill) James Koepke, originally of Port Angeles, Washington. They have been blessed to spend their retirement years wintering in tropical Honolulu, Hawaii and enjoying temperate summers on Whidbey Island.

Mary’s passions were caring for her family, dance, music, and travel. She often sewed outfits with matching fabric for her kids, baked creative and whimsical birthday cakes, made fresh huckleberry-apple pies, never missed a soccer game or school event, and always provided a helping hand. She was an inspirational Girl Scout Troop Leader for all three daughters over many years including countless activities and camping trips around the northwest. Summers and autumns were filled with harvesting trips followed by preserving fruits, fish, and venison for the winter table.

Her early years of dance training blossomed in her senior years when she taught tap dance at both the Oak Harbor and Waikiki Senior Centers and the Lanakila Community Center, leading and performing in follies with Whidbey’s Silver Taps and the Step-Taculars Dance Group of Waikiki. She also enjoyed designing and tailoring the colorful performance costumes.

Mary loved attending Dixieland Jazz Festivals around the Pacific Northwest. She met Bill in 1985 at the Friday Harbor Jazz Festival and together they volunteered as organizers of the Oak Harbor Jazz Festival for many years. When in Waikiki she seldom missed a concert featuring Hawaiian music. From sailing the San Juan Islands to cruising the Alaskan Intercoastal, Hawaiian Islands, or Tahitian Islands, she revered sunsets on the ocean and the adventures of travel. Through these experiences Mary made many close friends with whom she stayed in touch throughout her life.

She is survived by her husband Bill; her children Brenda, Jerry, and Ginger; her grandchildren Jason, Christopher, Kira, and Wyatt; her step-grandson Nathan; and her great-grandchildren Brayden, Lucas, Aubree, and Hunter. She was preceded in death by her parents John Ring and Lillian Boudrow Ring; her daughter Karen; and her granddaughter Nicole. While Mary will be deeply missed, her laughter, generosity, and love remain.