Katie Fleischmann

On January 7, 2024, Katie passed away at the age of 41 after a nearly four-year-long battle with breast cancer. Born on March 8, 1982, to Roy and Penny Jewett, Katie spent most of her childhood in Bellingham, growing up on Lake Samish. College life ultimately landed her at and graduating from Washington State University. Her twenties and early thirties were spent in Seattle and Portland, where she met Joe in 2007, and they were eventually married in 2011. In 2015, they moved back to Bellingham to start a family with the birth of their daughter, Leia, in 2017.

She cared deeply for her family, friends, and neighbors. Family time was the best time for Katie. Whether snuggling on the couch with Joe and Leia for a movie night, a day at the lake with her parents and brother, Kelly, or the traditional Jewett Thanksgiving gatherings with as many relatives as possible. A few years ago, Katie created the summertime fun Jewett Lake Day for relatives to gather at Roy and Penny’s for a day of love and laughter on Lake Samish. Family time was a time to cherish, her favorite time.

Simple joys like running with her dearest friends, Tiffany and Ann, were not as much about the run as they were about the conversation, the connection, and the time of simply being together. In the weeks before her passing, she shared how grateful and happy she was knowing how much her family and friends loved her and how much she loved them. That’s what life was all about for her: love.

Although she enjoyed being a realtor, her favorite title was Mom. Leia was her world and what mattered most. Katie was a shining example of kindness, compassion, and bravery to her daughter, almost superhero-like. Katie was heartbroken, knowing she would not be here to raise her daughter. All she wanted to do was show Leia how to “do this awful, hopeful, scary, beautiful thing called life,” (from the anthology Spring and All, “Driveway Day,” by Katie Fleischmann). She hopes that her family and friends can help Joe by being a part of Leia’s life and sharing stories of her mother with Leia along the way.

She enriched the lives of those around her. Her spirit, kindness, and love will continue to inspire us all. It is putting it lightly to say that she will be deeply missed.

She is survived by her daughter, Leia; her husband, Joe; her brother, Kelly; and her parents, Roy and Penny.

Katie did not want a formal funeral, so her family will plan a celebration of life for some time in the spring or early summer and will communicate the date and time in a future announcement.