Randa Lou Relyea

March 30, 1941 - May 19, 2020

Randa Relyea (Torum), our dedicated mother, grandma and friend to all she encountered passed away on Tuesday May 19th, 2020, just two weeks after refusing to celebrate her 79th birthday. A native to Sitka Alaska, she had a strong love of the ocean, wolves and fish and chips. She was a graduate of Sitka High School in 1959 and proceeded to a fulfilling career in optometry. She stepped out of the working world to be the best mom she could be. Her greatest accomplishment was raising her four biological children and adopting her 3 nephews and niece after the death of her Sister Nancy. She also adored her five grandsons and two granddaughters and would often say if she had known grandkids were so much fun she would have had them first. In the late 1970's she boldly moved her young family to Isfahan, Iran and returned to the U.S shortly before the Iranian revolution. She enjoyed traveling with her children at a young age, lunch with her longtime neighborhood girlfriends and catching up with her high school classmates at their yearly Sitka reunions. Randa bravely fought three battles with cancer over a span of 19 years. It would be wrong to say she lost her battle because she never stopped fighting and she was the definition of resilience and perseverance. She brought sparkle of joy into the lives of all who knew her and we will miss her forever