It seems what people didn’t know about Kay Reinartz while she was alive could fill more volumes of history than even she wrote or edited in her lifetime. Her folk-dancing friends didn’t necessarily know about her Masters’ degrees or Ph.D. Her renters didn’t know about her mountain-climbing or spelunking. Even those who know knew her as a consummate historian thought her allegiance was to just their neighborhood or county.
However everyone would agree that a brain cancer called glioblastoma robbed not just her husband and family of another twenty years but multiple communities of a “fountain of knowledge.” Diagnosed in 2008, Kay Reinartz died on April 16, 2011.
For many, many years Kay wrote a history column for the Ballard News-Tribune. She was also in charge of the community project that became the limited edition “Passport to Ballard,” published in Washington’s Centennial Year 1989. She last wrote for the special issue celebrating 100 years since annexation. Then-editor Jack Mayne recalls, “Kay was indefatigable and a constant source of details and facts. She knew Ballard as no one will ever know it again.”
Kay Frances Reinartz was born in Minnesota, the youngest of five daughters. As a farm girl she could cook and sew well enough to win prizes at the state fair but had her sights set on the world as a whole. When she started at the University of Minnesota she had $126 to her name. Throughout her life she fought early battles to keep her own name on passport and deeds, rather than a married name or a Mrs. Over the years that passport took her to 45-50 countries; Egypt during a terrorist attack, Uzbekistan by military helicopter, Thailand, Nepal, and a last, long-awaited, trip to China in 2007.
Kay first lived in Seattle in the 1960’s. After the end of her first marriage she returned to Seattle by way of Italy, Sweden and Brazil, settling in Ballard as her true home. A dedicated “caver,” as those willing to explore subterranean caverns are known, she liked to say that she met her husband Richard Frith, “When he crawled out from underneath a rock.”
According to Richard it took more labors than Hercules had to perform to convince Kay that he was husband material. Unsure of his ability to be a world traveler she suggested that he live abroad. Next she needed him to prove that he could be a dance partner, but not just for love of her, for love of dance. A very independent woman, Kay then wanted Richard to demonstrate his business abilities. Some ten years after they first became a couple, Kay and Richard were married. He had showed himself able to cook, live in an urban environment, acquire property, climb mountains, and in general, “Keep up with Kay.”
Richard describes Kay as someone who made a list of 30-some things she wanted to accomplish each day and was frustrated when she only completed twenty-seven. Over the years they bought and sold several homes, working their way to a sound-facing home in North Beach. Every home had a stunning garden that Kay would plan out week by week with a drawing board and colored pencils during winter nights.
As a historian Kay was asked to work on many projects, consulting with King County on its Heritage Corridor and Seattle Department of Transportation on the Interurban Trail. She worked with staff and community volunteers to create books in addition to Passport to Ballard, including histories of Queen Anne, Tukwila, Renton and Eastern Washington. Former Ballard News-Tribune reporter Rebekah Schilperoort said Kay’s column, “served as a reminder of a past she hoped no one would forget. She was dedicated to preserving Ballard’s history for long-time residents, as well as new.”
Louise J. Brown of the Tukwila Heritage Center met Dr. Kay, as she still calls her, when the City of Tukwila hired Kay to research and write a book on their history. Twenty-one years later the book still sells consistently well. “Dynamic and impressive,” Brown says. Although Kay Reinartz was 20 years her senior she said her energy was such that whether in walking or research it was hard to keep up with her.
Neighbor Anna Davis met Kay when her daughter was doing a 4th grade history project. After providing her daughter with stories and photographs Kay continued to mentor her daughter for many years. “Kay would share wisdom on subjects ranging from gardening, writing, and travel to how to vacuum a car. She also shared her zest for life with Clara. She was a renaissance woman in the true sense of the word with passion and talent in so many things.”
Four months after her death Kay’s garden is in full bloom. Richard is trying to sort a bit in the house that is filled with treasures from their travels, hat collections, an extensive library, research files, a Calico cat that stays close by. “Kay always had way too many things going on at once,” Richard says looking around at the evidence of a life lived full tilt. “She died at least 20 years too soon,” he said. “But I didn’t get to be in charge of that.”
Copies of “Passport to Ballard” are available for sale through Secret Garden Books.
