Ena Kay Blattman is now on her next journey.

Ena Kay (Katherina) Brunz was born Feb. 19, 1923 and passed Apr. 16, 2025 at 102.

Ena Kay’s family immigrated from Germany in the late 1800’s to Encampment, Wyoming where she was born during a snow blizzard.

The family moved from Wyoming to Colorado and then to Burlington, Washington where she was enrolled in school at 7 years old. The first few years were difficult as she only spoke German.

When she was a senior in Burlington high school she met Johnnie Blattman from Mt Vernon. They were married in 1942 just prior to Johnnie being shipped overseas in the Navy.

While Johnnie was overseas she worked at theCarnation can factory in Mt Vernon and lived near her family in Burlington. In her spare time she was kept busy working in the farming community driving truck for the pea harvest and a bus for the strawberry harvest.

A son Terry was born in 1943.

After two years John returned from the Navy and was stationed at Oak Harbor. They then moved into Navy housing on the east side of Oak harbor. She would tell a story of how she would have to push a baby carriage over the wooden side walk to Maylor’s store, the only grocery store in Oak Harbor.

After Johnnie’s enlistment was up and while visiting some of his Navy buddies at the naval air station on Whidbey Island he noticed a job opening at the base which he applied for and got.

While living in Oak Harbor another son, Dale, was born.

During the harvest season she continued to drive an old school bus from Oak Harbor to Mt Vernon with 30 kids to her aunt and uncle’s 40 acre strawberry farm and then back again in the afternoon.

They eventually moved from Oak Harbor to Swantown on the west side of Whidbey Island where they lived for many years. They later built their dream house along Fossil Lane, on the beach, on the north side of Penn Cove.

During the time her sons were in school she found time to work at Marshall’s Jewelry store where she stayed for 10 years.

Ena Kay was an artist. She walked the beaches near their Penn Cove property collecting driftwood and shells she would use in her art projects. She was also quite a prolific painter of scenes she had seen in nature of plants, animals, fish and birds. She won awards for her paintings at the local fairs. She was at the first Coupeville Art festival held at Lindsey’s Marina on Front Street selling her crafts.

For many years she would collect agates from nearby beaches, have them polished and they would then be sold with the proceeds going to a disabled organization on south Whidbey.

John was an avid fisherman and hunter and Ena Kay was soon accompanying him with their two boys. When the boys were small it was either a weekend trip to upper Skagit County where they would camp out of the back of their Plymouth station wagon or a trip with their 16’ boat fishing and camping on the beach.

After the boys left home and John retired they often were traveling in their motor home across the country. John also got a commercial fishing license in Alaska and built a cabin in a remote fishing village of Port Alexander. In Port Alexander Ena Kay continued her art projects using locally collected wood and shells and selling them at a small store in town.

During the winter months Ena Kay and john would go snowmobiling with a local group of friends. Their first snowmobiles were 1982 models and they would often go to Mt Baker or North Cascade Highway. Ena kay was one of the first women snowmobilers but had no problem keeping up with the guys. She continued snowmobiling for 30 years until she was 89 years old.

Ena Kay belonged to many organizations including the Rebekah Lodge, Oak Harbor Garden Club, American Legion Auxiliary, Oak Bowl bowling league, Port Alexander Historical Society of Alaska and the Emblem club #450. As a longtime member of the Emblem Club she held an officers position for several years.

Among her hobbies were her crafts, painting, flower arranging, bowling (she bought herself a new ball when she was 94), yardwork, hunting, fishing, beachcombing, snowmobiling, making three foot long Christmas stockings for her many grandchildren and great grandchildren and going to antique stores to add to her collection of Fenton glass baskets.

Ena Kay has two sons, 5 grandchildren, 11 great grandchildren and 16 great great grandchildren.

Ena Kay wishes that no flowers be sent and that any donations be to the Elk’s Foundation through the Oak Harbor Emblem Club #450.