Friends of the late Joe and Karen Housley plan a procession of classic cars Thursday morning through Kent to honor the couple. The procession will wend its way along James Street before services for the couple at Tahoma National Cemetery.
The couple died Feb. 1 in their Panther Lake home. Accused of killing them is one of their sons, Vincent Wayne Housley, 43. Charged with two counts of first-degree murder, Housley is scheduled for arraignment today at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent.
Although their lives came to such a tragic end, the couple were devoted to restoring classic cars and were members of the Maple Valley Street Rats Car Club.
“We wanted to try to do something nice for them,” said Kevin Doyle, a friend of the family and owner of Kent Performance Auto Center, in an interview Friday. “We’re not sure how many cars will show up. There might be five or maybe 500 cars.”
The procession starts 10 a.m. Thursday at the Kent Performance Auto Center, 619 Washington Ave. The cars will go east on James Street to services for the couple slated at 11 a.m. at the Tahoma National Cemetery, 18600 S.E. 240th St.
Plans for the procession were starting to percolate Friday through several car clubs as well as Big Wheel Auto Parts in Kent. Joe Housley often shopped at that store, Doyle said.
Joe Housley, 66, and Karen Housley, 67, shared a love of classic cars. They owned several old Pontiacs and Buicks, including a blue 1962 Pontiac Catalina.
They were married for 44 years, and Joe Housley worked as a machinist for Hardy Engineering in Auburn. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1959 to 1963.
Karen Housley worked 21 years as a bank teller for Wells Fargo, and retired in December.
Donations are suggested to the American Diabetes Association or the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
Vincent Housley, 43, remains in the King County jail in Seattle on $2 million bail. If convicted as charged, he faces a standard sentence of 44 to 57 years in prison.
Join the procession
Who: Classic car owners, friends of Joe and Karen Housley
When: 10 a.m. Thursday
Where: Kent Performance Auto Center, 619 Washington Ave.
Contact: Kevin Doyle, 253-854-0100
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