WHAT’S
YOUR STORY?

Kirsten Lancaster

I was born and raised in Pasco, WA. I have a sister and a brother, and I am the oldest. I
had a wonderful childhood with extended family in town, our holidays and get togethers
were always fun and loud! Growing up I spent time playing on the banks of the
Columbia River, riding bikes, swimming at the local park pool, going to local horse
shows in the summer (it was the next best thing to owning a horse, my sister and I
begged for a horse to no avail), I took pride in my lawn mowing and car washing skills,
and played sports all through my schooling. One of my fondest memories is visiting my
grandfather’s janitorial supply shop he established in 1947, Columbia Basin Paper and
Supply. The aisles of cleaning supplies in the storefront and the shelves of supplies in
the warehouse were fascinating! My dad owned and operated the shop for a while, and
at the present time my uncle is the owner. I attended Pasco Schools and graduated
from Pasco Senior High School. Go Bulldogs! After high school I attended and
graduated from Gonzaga University, with a BA in political science. Shortly after
graduating, I worked on my dad’s (Doc Hastings) 1992 congressional campaign, as his
driver and scheduler. Unfortunately, he lost the election to Jay Inslee. Dad decided to
run again in 1994, I was his driver and scheduler, and the outcome was very different.
He won! Although I learned a lot about campaigning, the best part was simply spending
hours on the road with Dad, the interactions we had with people, and our many
conversations in the car. In 1995 I married my husband Craig and moved to Yakima.
Eventually we bought an orchard in Selah and have lived in our present home for
twenty-three years. I was a stay-at-home mom, and we raised our four children, one
son and three daughters. Because of Craig’s seasonal farming schedule, he was able to
spend a lot of time with our kids as well, and we were busy with lots of sports and
activities. We now enjoy traveling, visiting our kids, going to movies, and visiting with
friends and family. I recently became a member of the Yakima Republican Women’s
Club because of the heightened political year, and I thought it would be fun to meet
other women with the same interests as me! I am really enjoying my time being around
women I both respect and admire