Victoria "Vicki" LaDuke

Victoria “Vicki” LaDuke was born on November 25, 1953, at Bellevue Women’s Hospital to Elsie and Louis LaDuke. She was 72 when she passed and throughout her years she made quite a statement. From the very beginning, Vicki approached life with enthusiasm, conviction, and absolutely no interest in blending into the background.

Throughout her life, Vicki embraced the arts with a particular love for live music, theater, and, of course, belly dancing. A belly dancer herself well into her later years, she often shared her talents with her granddaughters, who received dance lessons beginning at a very young age. Those lessons frequently included her trademark encouragement: “You don’t have the hips for this,” delivered to six-year-olds with complete sincerity. Vicki moved to the beat of her own drum circle. A great example of this was when she went to a Godsmack concert with her son, Gary. A mosh pit formed in the crowd, and there she was right in the center of it…. belly dancing.

Known affectionately as “Crazy Grandma Vicki” she found magic in both the extraordinary and the everyday. Her greatest joys could be as grand as dancing beneath a full moon or as simple as a caramel macchiato, a Stewart’s cinnamon bun, and a good book. Her other joys included fine dining, cooking, and spending time with family. Her family also firmly believes she single-handedly kept the tie-dye industry in business.

If you knew Vicki, you knew she was rarely the quietest person in the room and almost always the center of attention. As a proud practitioner of the Wiccan faith, she was passionate about sharing her beliefs with others. She made it her mission to ensure everyone learned the “right” way to practice, whether she was leading the class or simply attending it. While her philosophy could sometimes be described as “my way or the highway,” she welcomed both friends and strangers with warmth, curiosity, and open arms. More than anything, Vicki would want to be remembered for living unapologetically and encouraging others to do the same. She believed there was no reason to hide who you are, and as she often reminded those around her, “There’s a little magic in all of us.”

Victoria is predeceased by her parents, Elsie and Louis LaDuke; her daughter, Crystal Graffunder; her son, Gary Graffunder; and her sister, Chrisi LaDuke.

She is survived by her daughter, Domenica (Jonathan) Wagoner; her granddaughters, Savannah (Scott) Slingerland and Alivia (Mark) Wagoner; her great-grandson, Jack Slingerland; her sister, Loucinda (Mike) Walsh, and close friend, Cheri Hagadone. She had several nephews and was a loving fur mother to Odin, who filled her days with companionship, purrs, and just the right amount of mischief. Vicki was also fortunate to have Byrdie, a special caregiver who became a cherished friend. She was fortunate to have Byrdie’s steadfast friendship, care, and occasional bossing around. The family will always be grateful to Byrdie for the countless ways she enriched Vicki’s life through her friendship, devotion, and all the ways she helped make each day a little brighter.

While she will be deeply missed here, her family finds comfort in imagining Vicki reunited with Crystal and Gary. Somewhere beyond the veil, she has likely already found a drum circle, gathered an audience, shared a few unsolicited opinions, and started belly dancing at the center of it all. Crystal and Gary are surely laughing beside her as she tells stories, stirs up a little harmless mischief, has absolutely no intention of sitting quietly in the corner and definitely brought Tupperware to take home the leftovers.

Services will be private for family and close friends