Jeanne McKay Motsenbocker

Jeanne McKay Motsenbocker

October 3, 1954 – October 4, 2013

Jeanne McKay Motsenbocker passed into the arms of her Heavenly Father surrounded by her loving family on October 4, 2013, following a courageous three-year battle with ovarian cancer. Jeanne was born October 3, 1954, to Phillip and Patricia McKay of Grand Coulee, Wash., and spent her formative years on the family wheat and cattle farm northwest of town. Jeanne attended school in Grand Coulee from kindergarten through high school and graduated from Lake Roosevelt High School in 1972. She was active in school government, a cheerleader, and homecoming queen. Following her high school graduation, Jeanne attended Washington State University and graduated from the Intercollegiate College of Nursing with a BSN in 1977.

Jeanne moved to Denver, Colorado the summer of 1977 and accepted her first nursing position at St. Luke’s Hospital. She later relocated to Cody, Wyoming, where she worked as a home health nurse riding her Honda 350 motorcycle to patients’ homes in the rural countryside. While living in Cody, Jeanne began training to bicycle across the country in support of the March of Dimes and completed the ride alone from Everett, Wash., to Boston in less than two-months. Longing to work in emergency nursing Jeanne moved to Wenatchee, Wash., in 1981 and began working at Central Washington Hospital in the emergency room. She earned her ALS and CEN certifications at CWH and always felt ER nursing was a natural fit for her.

While in Wenatchee, she met her husband Bill Motsenbocker and they were married in June of 1983. The couple had just celebrated their 30-year anniversary in June. Bill and Jeanne made their home in Wenatchee where Jeanne continued as a part time nurse in the ER and Bill worked as a middle school teacher/coach at Pioneer and Orchard Middle Schools. Bill and Jeanne had two beautiful children, Tyson and Jaimie, who were the light of her world. Jeanne maintained a commitment of being a stay-at-home mom through their middle school years.

Jeanne and Bill accepted a calling to serve as short-term medical missionaries in central Haiti in 1991 through the Free Methodist Church. They served for one-year with the Dessalines Rural Health Project in the Artibonite Valley where Jeanne assisted in the lab testing AIDS patients while Bill served as the hospital administrator. The Haitian government was overthrown by the military while they were there and as a result, the missionary staff was required to leave the country. The family finished their term abroad serving in the Dominican Republic.

The family later moved to Prosser, Wash., where Bill accepted an administrative position at Housel Middle School. Jeanne began the process of earning a masters degree in counseling from Liberty University with the desire to open her own private practice counseling office following licensure in Washington State. Jeanne opened her first office in Pullman where the family had relocated in 1995 after Bill became the principal at Lincoln Middle School. She specialized in individual trauma counseling and couples therapy. She always had a waiting list of people trying to become clients and became an authority in EMDR and several marriage therapies. Jeanne authored two books on understanding bonds in marriage and facilitated prayer. Her success as a counselor, especially with couples, was remarkable. Later in her career she provided staff development training on several occasions for counselors at The Well in Chang Mai, Thailand.

In 2007 Jeanne and Bill moved to Spangle, Wash., where Bill accepted a position as Superintendent/K-8 Principal for the Liberty School District. Jeanne continued her counseling practice with an office in Spokane until her cancer diagnosis in 2010.

Jeanne loved international travel and has visited every continent excluding Antarctica and Africa. Following her diagnosis, she managed to travel to Mexico twice, the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, Chile, and Argentina. She always was thinking of the next country she wanted to visit and was disappointed she never made it to Africa. Jeanne was also an excellent endurance athlete, completing two marathons including a 9th place division finish in the Emerald City Marathon in Seattle. Even throughout her battle with cancer, she was an avid cyclist completing several rides of over 50 miles.

In addition to her husband Bill, Jeanne is survived by her children; Tyson of Solana Beach, Calif., and Jaimie of Spokane. Others include sisters Mary White of Spokane and Janet Wilson (Mike) of Okanogan, and one brother Kelly of Almira. She was preceded in death by her parents Phillip and Patricia McKay.

The family wishes to express a heartfelt “thank you” to Dr. Grossen, Dr. Holbrook, Gina, Mary, and Stephanie of Cancer Care Northwest, the amazing and talented nursing staff at Sacred Heart 5 South, and the blessings received from the staff at Hospice House of Spokane.

A celebration of Jeanne’s life will take place at Liberty High School, E. 6404 Spangle-Waverly Rd., Spangle, Saturday, Oct. 12, at 2p.m.

In lieu of flowers, Jeanne had requested that friends donate to Haiti Healthcare Advocates, PO Box 580, Spring Arbor, MI 49283-9986 designated for the Dessalines Hospital.