Carolyn Kay Leclaire

Carolyn LeClaire or Kay as many know her, passed away at the age of 75 on March 30, 2024. Kay was born in 1949 in northern Idaho and grew up across the world as her family moved in support of her father's work for the state department. Before graduating high school, she had lived in Nepal, Nigeria and Panama perhaps sparking her lifelong passion for international travel and ultimately her love of mountains.

This passion for international living continued as she spent time in Argentina while a student at ASU in the early 1970s. Upon graduating from the College of Nursing in 1973 she moved to Massachusetts and worked as a nurse through the early 1980s.

In 1985, her newborn son in tow, she ventured across the country to settle in Spokane, WA. She enrolled in Gonzaga Law School, graduating in 1990. With her degree complete, the hours not spent raising her family were poured into her passions including traveling the world, fishing wherever she could get a line in the water, hosting events for which she displayed her considerable culinary skills, and engaging in competitive ballroom dance.

As she entered the new millennium, her ambitions shifted towards the mountains. She ascended Mt Rainier and joined the Spokane Mountaineers, along with the entire family. It ultimately proved to be the gateway to a passion that consumed most of the remaining years of her life as she pursued her goal to climb all seven of the highest peaks in the world. Her relentless perseverance finally carried her to success and the top of Mt Everest in 2009.

In the years following the completion of her goal, in addition to sharing her experiences as a motivational speaker, she continued pushing herself physically and enjoying the outdoors by running marathons, competing in triathlons, and climbing other peaks around the globe.

Instead of services, all those who knew her are asked to celebrate her by doing what she loved most, enjoying the outdoors. Grab a fishing rod, take a run, or climb a mountain!

In lieu of flowers, please feel free to donate to her favorite charities: National Outdoor Leadership Program, The Spokane Humane Society, SCRAPS or Planned Parenthood.