Constance Kirsten Whitworth

Constance Kirsten Whitworth, known to her friends and Found Family as Kirsti/Kibi, died on Sunday July 18, 2021, in Palliative Care in Seattle, Washington only weeks after receiving a diagnosis of metastasized cancer.

Kirsti was born in Austin, Texas on Jan. 14, 1957, and after living part of her childhood and starting High School in El Paso, she returned to Austin. She attended Stephen F. Austin High School and The University of Texas – Austin, where she majored in Linguistics and Computer Science. She also Studied Computer Science and Mathematics at St. Edward's University in Austin. After college, she worked as a Senior Quality Assurance Automation Engineer for a variety of software firms in Texas and California. Her professional work allowed Kirsti to satisfy her thirst for knowledge in every area and era of life on earth.

During her career in computer software, Kirsti’s mind turned to the Earth, and she bought property in South Austin. By 2012 she was planning an edible landscape as well as building a chicken coop. But the more Kirsti learned about Permaculture, the greater her desire to live in the Pacific Northwest and escape the brutal Texas heat.

There was no limit to Kirsti’s wit, intelligence, and curiosity. When Kirsti decided to study anything, it was a very deep dive. Kirsti could name wild and cultivated plants in Latin and studied edible flora. She spent recent decades as one of two lexicographers working to save Scottish Gaelic by building the Scottish Gaelic Wiktionary (Uiclair).

Kirsti moved to Sequim, Washington in 2014 and bought property to become the “Owner, Homesteader, and Mother Goose of Blue Raven Homestead.” She wrote blog-like posts on her facebook page which brought her many new friends and admirers.

During her time in Sequim she also studied for a Master Gardener’s Certification, an Apprentice Beekeeper’s Certification, and raised chickens, ducks and geese. Kirsti said of her birds, “they all look like small dinosaurs to me.” Kirsti referred to herself as “the monkey” by describing the view from birds’ eyes. She also surrounded herself with loving pets including cats and dogs.

Kirsti was passionate about conservation: water, soil, wildlife, and by extension, wilderness. She was adamant about human rights for all people. Kirsti was satisfied that at the end she was able to deed the land which she improved with such dedication in Sequim, Washington to the local Native S'Klallam Tribe with the understanding that the resources will be used to educate Native Youth.

A quote from Kirsti after a hard winter in Washington. “Today, I found that the Artemisa dracunculus – l’estragon, the French tarragon - survived and is regrowing more lushly than ever. Je suis en extase. Estoy extático. Tha mi air mhire. I am ecstatic.”

We all hope you are ecstatic now as well. You leave us with a lasting and meaningful footprint on earth.