Nicolette Roberge

Nicolette Roberge lived a life defined by curiosity, passion, and an open heart. Born on March 28, 1952, she departed this world on March 16, 2026, just twelve days before her 74th birthday — leaving behind a legacy as vibrant and far-reaching as the music she loved.

Her love affair with books began in childhood, when she would walk a mile each way just to reach the bookmobile. That early devotion to the written word shaped the course of her career: Nicolette spent most of her professional life as a librarian and grant writer, first at the University of Washington and eventually as the librarian and media specialist at Archbishop Murphy High School, where she guided countless students before retiring.

Nicolette found the great love of her life in Mark Kemp, and the two were married in 1977. Together they built something beautiful — a small farm in Oso, Washington, where they raised animals, kept a menagerie of beloved pets, and tended a massive garden that fed both body and soul. Their daughter, Katrina Akioka (née Kemp-Roberge), joined their family in 1989, completing the picture of a life well-lived.

Nicolette and Mark were adventurers at heart. They did extensive exploration in Mexico together, wandered through Europe, and hit the open road for trips and bluegrass festivals — music that became a thread woven through their whole life together. That love of bluegrass led Nicolette to one of her greatest joys: for more than 25 years, she served as a volunteer DJ on Bluegrass Express on 90.7fm KSER, known and cherished by her listeners as "Miss Nicolette." She had been part of the KSER family since 1991, starting as a volunteer news release writer before finding her voice on air. She adored her listeners and her bluegrass community deeply.

At home, Nicolette's hands were always busy. She was a gifted fiber artist — knitting, cross-stitching, crocheting, sewing, weaving, and quilting — and she found equal satisfaction in the kitchen, cooking and canning the bounty from the farm. She was fiercely independent, resilient, and self-reliant, with an intellect as wide as her reading list.

Nicolette was also a generous and dedicated philanthropist, giving her time, energy, and resources to causes close to her heart. She embodied the belief that a person's life is measured not by what they accumulate, but by what they give.

She is survived by:

Her daughter Katrina Akioka; her brothers Richard Roberge and Brian Roberge; and her sister Marie Roberge.

She was preceded in death by:

Her beloved husband Mark Kemp; her mother Eva Winslow; her father Edgar Roberge; her sister Renée Dively; and her brothers Thomas Roberge, Rolland Roberge, and Doug Roberge.

In Lieu of Flowers

In keeping with Nicolette's spirit of generosity, the family asks that you consider donating to one of the organizations she believed in:

• KSER Everett
• Wintergrass Foundation
• Doctors Without Borders
• Peace Action Network