Loretto J. Hulse (nee Henderson) of Pasco, WA died Sunday, March 12, 2023 at age 69 after a brief illness.  She was born in Renton, WA then moved to the Tri-Cities area in 1965 with her family. She was a graduate of River View High School in Finley.  Though she was born a city girl, Loretto planted her country roots deep and strong on the East Pasco farm she shared with her husband of 45 years, Blaine Hulse, and an eclectic collection of animals.

Loretto's limitless love for felines, horses and a few very special dogs was legendary.  Animals in need of food, shelter and love found their way to her home and her heart.   She enjoyed the challenges of horse packing trips into some of the most rugged and beautiful wilderness scenery the Pacific Northwest has to offer.  Inspired by the beauty of wildflowers and foliage in the mountains, she found ways to coax beautiful flowers and fragrant herbs to flourish in the desert soil to have a little piece of nature's magic right outside her front door.

Loretto was an avid reader from childhood and turned that passion into a career as a journalist.  She was best known in the Tri-Cities area for her decades as a local writer with the Tri City Herald and the Tri Cities Business Journal.  Though her writing spanned many topics, she found her strongest voice when her articles featured people who love to cook and the stories behind their cuisine.

Her columns had many titles over the years like "Cook of the Week" and "Food for Thought" in the Herald.  Though cooking styles and column names changed over the years, Loretto's intense focus on the people and the family traditions behind the recipes was her "secret ingredient" that earned her multiple journalism awards during the course of her career.  She published 1000+ articles, some of which were picked up by papers as far away as Greenville, NC and as widely read as the Chicago Tribune.  She was also an early and active advocate of the local wine industry and served many years as a key member board for the annual Tri-Cities Wine Festival.

Loretto is survived by her husband, Blaine Hulse of Pasco, WA, her mother Loretta Henderson and siblings Tom (Linda) Henderson, Pat (Theresa) Henderson, Mary (John) Benedict, Eileen (Saul) Santiago and Jeani (Michael) Mallouk and Jason (Lynn) Miller.  Her loss will be felt by her sisters-in-law, cousins and dozens of friends.  She is preceded in death by her father George Henderson, her brother, Michael C. Henderson, her nephew, Travis D. Pfister and her mother-in-law and father-in-law Daryl and Corene Hulse.

A memorial will be held in Loretto's honor at the home of Lorrie and Loren Tallett, 325 McDonald Drive, Pasco, WA on Saturday, April 22, 2023 starting at 1:00 PM

In lieu of flowers, please continue Loretto's legacy and provide a home for animals in need or a donation to the many agencies that provide the food, shelter and love that she would have given so readily.