Omah Klopfenstein Worked Behind Scenes To Aid Others

Omah Albaugh Klopfenstein was linked by marriage to a prominent Seattle menswear-retailing family.

But she was linked by interest in women's and children's welfare to her beloved Kappa Alpha Theta sorority and to health and arts groups.

Friends and family call her saintly and selfless because she worked behind the scenes to bring comfort and strength to others.

"When people were in trouble, she would go read to them, talk to them, cook for them," said her husband of 55 years, Karl Klopfenstein of Seattle, brother of late menswear retailer Hugh Klopfenstein. "Never did she take credit for such things."

But she "definitely was no namby-pamby," says her daughter, Karla Kombrink of Seattle.

"I can still hear her say, `Do this. Don't do that,' " Kombrink said. "And she was usually right."

Mrs. Klopfenstein died Wednesday (June 2) of arteritis. She was 77.

"She was a real driving force in my life because after seeing how she cared for people and went out of her way, I became a public defender," said her son John Klopfenstein of Woodland, Calif.

He said he had stress and doubts about defending criminals. But Mrs. Klopfenstein counseled him with common sense and passages from the Old Testament. She told him to work hard for a day's pay, avoid flamboyance, and "not beat myself up for not doing more." She also sometimes said, "Don't be a baby."

Born on a farm in Doland, S.D., Mrs. Klopfenstein was named after her Aunt Omah, derived from "grandmother" in German.

In 1939 she came to Seattle to attend the University of Washington, where her sister was a student. She pledged Kappa Alpha Theta, which was founded by a relative, and stayed to earn her liberal-arts degree in 1943. She occasionally helped out in the downtown clothing store co-founded by her future father-in-law, Clarence Klopfenstein, in 1920.

She lived in Washington, D.C., and worked for National Camp Fire Girls while her husband completed early medical work. In 1954 she returned to Seattle with him.

She supported major Seattle arts groups, served as a local and national officer in her sorority, initiated programs at Women's University Club such as social dances for children, and was active in a guild of Children's Hospital & Regional Medical Center.

For the past eight years she split her time between homes in Seattle and Rancho Mirage, Calif.

"She was part of a putting group," said her son. "She'd call me all excited if she got a hole-in-one on a 15-foot putt."

Also surviving are another son, Dr. Fred Klopfenstein of Seattle; her sister, Marian Short, Maple Valley; and two grandchildren.

The memorial reception is at 4 p.m. Tuesday at Women's University Club, 1105 Sixth Ave., Seattle.

Donations may go to Kappa Alpha Theta Foundation, 8740 Founders Rd., Indianapolis, IN 96268; or Betsy Wilson Children's Orthopedic Guild c/o Guild Association, Mail Stop CH23, Children's Hospital & Regional Medical Center, P.O. Box 5371, Seattle, WA 98105.Carole Beers' e-mail address is cbeers@seattletimes.com.