Carla K. Robertson, 72, of Pullman, passed away March 5, 2020 in the Memory Care Unit at Regency Assisted Living in Pullman, WA.

Carla Kay Robertson was born May 26, 1947 in Texarkana, AR to James Travis and Ethelynn Camille Robison (Arnold). After the family moved to Kansas City, MO, she attended Barstow School, which provided her with a value for learning and with life-long friendships. Carla excelled in sciences, especially biology and chemistry, and was a valued member of the school's hockey and basketball teams. She graduated from Kansas State University, Manhattan;  shortly thereafter her brief marriage to Mike Robertson ended. She kept the family name to honor the close relationship with her in-laws.

Carla spent the majority of her adult life in Pullman, WA, working as a laboratory technician for many years in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Washington State University. In this position, she especially enjoyed assisting graduate students, and she established enduring relationships with colleagues and former students.

Carla was an avid outdoors person, enjoying hiking, camping, rafting, kayaking, sailing (Lake Quivira) and cross-country skiing. She loved the Idaho panhandle, especially the Selway, where she unrolled her bivy sack and sleeping pad many times and experimented with backcountry equipment (picture her baking on a white fuel camping stove..).

Initially a photographer, she later turned her hand to painting and became a watercolorist, vividly depicting her favorite places to travel—mountains and waters of the Northwest and arid landscapes of the Southwest.  For many years, she hitched up Gladis, her camping trailer, to spent part of her summers at Ghost Ranch, NM, painting and appreciating the serenity of the desert.

Carla enriched the journey of many with her particular outlook on the world and people, her hard-earned wisdom - peppered with quotes from Winnie the Pooh, her endearing smiles, and the many, many hugs she shared. For some she was a lifesaver.

Carla adored her little sister and her big brother and was very attached to her feline companions, Tigger, Samwise, Princess and Scout.  She is preceded in death by her parents, her brother Jim and sister Judy; survived by her nephews, Jim Robison, IV and Matthew Bell.

A celebration of Carla's life and scattering of ashes are planned for this summer. If you wish to be notified about timing and location, please reach out to Christiane Löhr or leave your contact information with Kimball Funeral Home of Pullman, WA who has been entrusted with arrangements. Memorial contributions should be made out to Ghost Ranch Living Museum Foundation, In., 280 Private Drive 1708, Abiquiú, NM 8751. A special thank you to the staff of Regency Pullman, who provided Carla with such loving care for the years she lived there.