Jean (Betty) McDonald Zwiebel

Jean Zweibel

Jean (Betty) McDonald Zwiebel, a  granddaughter of Seattle pioneers, was born in Seattle on August 29, 1916 and passed away on May 3, 2009 at age 92 surrounded by her loving family.

Jean’s grandfather helped rebuild Seattle after his arrival the day after the Seattle fire in 1899.  Jean attended Queen Anne High School and graduated from the University of Washington in 1936, where she was a Kappa Alpha Theta sorority member, gaining many lifelong friends.

Jean was always active in outdoor activities from an early age.   She learned to figure skate when she was in high school and choreographed and danced with her ice skating partner for many years in local skating shows.   She was also an avid skier and hiker, enjoying both Mount Rainier and Mount Baker.  She and friends used to hike up to Mount Rainier’s Paradise Inn often,  where she had a cabin nearby.  They would often have to tunnel in to it as there was so much snow.  Then they would ski down to Narada Falls and hike back up on skins.    She also used  to row from the Seward Park area to a little family cabin on the banks of wooded Mercer Island for short vacations.  She married the love of her life, Gordon in 1940 after he set out to capture her heart by building a sailboat and becoming a charter member of Seattle Yacht Club.  They enjoyed many years sailing the San Juans and intercoastal waters up North and on the Mediterranean aboard the Alotola.  They loved to travel the world, and entertain family and their many friends with their films and stories.    They passed on their love of skiing and boating to their children with family ski trips and by spending summers on the water at their Indianola cabin and later Whidbey Island.  She and Gordie celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in Sun Valley together with all their family.  He passed away shortly after their 61st in 2001.

Mom and Dad at Taj Mahal

Mom on Sailboat 1942

After Gordon’s death, Jean continued to live in Redmond’s Emerald Heights Retirement community where they had lived after they sold their Windermere home in 1994. She continued to play golf in her mid-80’s at Broadmoor, and enjoy the family beach place she and Gordon built on Whidbey Island.  She was active for many years in her Children’s Orthopedic Guild (Charles B. Ford), her Theta sorority, Bridge Club, Garden Club, Women’s University Club, Ancient Skiers and the U of W. Alumni Club.

Jean’s family was very dear to her and she will be sorely missed.  She was preceded in death by her husband Gordon in 2001 and her son Richard in 1996. She is survived by two sons Donald and wife Marylynne, Robert and wife Sharon Nichols and daughter Susan and husband Joe Wishcamper, seven grandchildren: Jennifer Zwiebel-Henninger and husband Erich, Robert and wife Lydia, Brian and wife Rebecca, Andrew and wife Katie, and Kelsey and Stephanie Zwiebel, and Jonathan Wishcamper.  She has 3 great-grandchildren Camaryn & Griffin Zwiebel-Henninger (Jennifer), Madeleine  Zwiebel  (Brian), and another on the way(Andrew ).  She also leaves her cousin Margaret Pontius who currently lives in Tennessee.

At her request, a private family service will be held.  Remembrances may be made to: Children’s Hospital Foundation, PO Box 50020/S200, Seattle, WA 98145-5020 or to Evergreen Hospice,c/o Evergreen Healthcare Foundation,  12040 NE 128th St., MS#5,  Kirkland, WA  98034-3013

John Edwards

John Edwards

John Edwards passed on April 28, 2009 after a massive heart attack.  Lynda, his wife of 25 years, and his beloved dog Sandy, invite you to a celebration of John’s life to be held May 30th, 4:00 – about 7:00 p.m. at the home of Phil and Pat Anderson.  Directions are below.  A light buffet will be served.

Please bring any photographs and memorabilia you may wish to share. There will be time for stories and memories of Rusty John’s life.   We hope you will join us.

Please forward this e-mail to others who you feel may wish to join in this celebration of John’s life. 

Directions:

305 122nd Place N.E, Bellevue, WA 98005     425-451-0549
East on NE Eighth (past the Alano club), South on 124th to 3rd Place.  West on 3rd Place (you can only turn one direction) to the end of the street.  305 is the end townhouse on the West side of 122nd Place – directly at the end of 3rd Place.

Gordon Peak

Gordon F. Peak

October 19, 1922  –  April 27, 2009

Gordon Peak

Gordon was born in Portland Oregon.  His parents divorced when he was very young, and he grew up near Woodland Park in Seattle, where his mother owned and operated a beauty shop.

He graduated from Lincoln High School in 1941, and soon after enjoyed a dangerous and adventurous job as a deck hand on boats that traveled the Alaska coast, supplyinig necessities to native villages.

In 1942 he joined the US Army Signal Corps, Alaska Communications System, assigned to the Alean Highway project.  He was honorably discharged in 1946.

After WWII Gordon built and sold several homes in Seattle’s north end.  Later he began a long career as a finish carpenter, well known for his fine work.  He detailed offices in many of Seattle’s high rise office buildings, and was in-house carpenter for Frederick and Nelson, and later the Bon Marche for many years.  His crowning glory was the elaborate wine cellar he constructed for prominent Seattle businessman, Thomas Gleed.

Gordon was well-known for his sense of humor, love of salmon fishing, no matter what the weather, and his readiness to give a helping hand wherever needed.  He always fished with “Finnish Herring”, a nod to his half Finnish heritage.

He leaves his wife Marilynn, son, Randall (Patty) Peak, daughter Alana (Rick) Rich, five grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.

Gordon wants no services.

Craig Bruce Claar

Craig Bruce Claar (Huckleberry), age 60, passed away on April 24, 2009.

Craig Bruce Claar

He was born August 23, 1948 in San Diego, California.  The son of George Claar and Maggie Quinby Claar, both deceased.  Craig graduated from Felix High School in 1966. He lived his youth in San Diego and most of his adult life in Spokane, Washington.

He enlisted in the US Navy at eighteen and spent four years in Vietnam as a BT Boilerman, who was in charge of 100 other young men.  After the Navy, he worked at Washington Water Power as a Steam Engineer for thirteen years.  During his duration at WWP, he owned/operated Country Auto Rebuilders.  Soon after WWP, Craig moved onto sales as a Snap-On Tools Dealer.  Craig spent the last 15 years of his life as a General Contractor in Washington.

He was passionate about life, family & friends.  Craig was known for his happy personality, honesty and integrity.  Craig’s trademark was his Huckleberry handshake, and his motto when asked how he was,

                   “Happy, healthy, mean, rotten, ornery, and ugly.”

Craig was gifted with the creative ability to play music “by ear”, draw, build and create anything he wanted.  Motorcycles were his life.  He loved to ride, whether it was dirt or street, curvy or straight, coast to coast.  Craig’s love of fast cars allowed him to appreciate the symphony of a well built and finely tuned engine.

Craig is survived by Janet, wife of twenty-five years, children, Jade Claar, Dawn Gregg, Kelly Claar and Jason Claar;  eight grandchildren, his siblings, Connie Flagg, Judy Perez and Todd Claar.

Craig was preceded in death by his son, Christopher Paul Claar, 1988.

Craig will be interned,  with full Military Honors, in the Spokane National Cemetery in June 2010, when the cemetery is completed.

ESTHER PEARSON

Esther Pearson

ESTHER PEARSON

Esther Pearson passed away on April 21, 2009 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.  She was born in La Conner, WA on May 2, 1919, the youngest of five children, to Swedish immigrant parents Carl and Agnes Hultman, and grew up with a love of gardening.  After attending WSU, she settled in Seattle and worked in the Dorothy Neighbors Department at the Seattle Times.  In 1942 she married Arnold C. Pearson, a Boeing aeronautical engineer and accomplished photographer.  She established her own landscape design business and won acclaim with her work, which featured native plant material that highly complemented the best of Pacific Northwest modern architecture.  Always a passionate learner and doer, she continued to take classes at the UW and SCC in art, history and creative writing.  In 1980 she combined her interest in immigrant history and love of travel with Arnold’s stunning photography and the two of them co-authored Early Churches of Washington State, published by University of Washington Press.     

During their 56 year loving marriage Esther and Arnold had two children, Carl and Sina, grandchildren Carin, Eric and Matthew and great-granddaughter Elena.   She is also survived by her nieces, Robin Bajus and Joanne Long; nephews Carl and Wendell Hultman and Jim Hallead; and numerous grand nieces and nephews.  She was preceded in death by Arnold in 1999, and her brothers Norman, Paul and George Hultman and sister Louise Bettner.   

Esther loved to travel with Arnold and found in every trip to Europe, Japan, New York or throughout the Pacific Northwest a way to reconnect with family, meet new people and establish lifelong friendships.  She welcomed all to her comforting home and lush garden.  She also made time to volunteer at the Seattle Art Museum and at the University Unitarian Church.  Her stunning chancel arrangements for UUC were legendary. 

Esther’s talents and generosity were immeasurable.  Along with Arnold, she lived a life filled with art, photography, music, great food and gardening, and more than anything, love of family and friends.  She will serve as an inspiration to all that knew and loved her.

A memorial service and celebration of Esther’s life will be held on June 27, 2009 11AM at University Unitarian Church, 6556 35th Ave. NE, Seattle 98115.  In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland, Alzheimer’s Association, or Evergreen Hospice, or to a charity of choice.

Friends are encouraged to share memories in the family’s online guestbook below.

Theodore Harold Scrivanich – April 9, 2009

THEODORE HAROLD SCRIVANICH

Ted was born May 24, 1929 in Brookfield, WA. to Mateo Scrivanich and Zena Tarabochia.  He passed away April 9, 2009 in Edmonds, WA.  He was the youngest of six children, a sister dying in infancy.  In 1930 his family moved to Seattle.

He joined the Marine Corps in 1946.  In 1952 he married Beverley J. O’Neal and together they had three children, Janet (Bob) Miller, Teresa Costle, and Paul (Olivia) Scrivanich.  He always wanted to be a fireman and had many friends at the station off of Dravus St. on Queen Anne who mentored him.  He gave up that dream to care for his family and became a warehouseman working for Eyres Transfer and eventually working at the Safeway Distribution Center in the meat department.  In 1990 he had a brain aneurysm and was disabled.

He loved camping and showed us where Brookfield used to be on the Columbia River.  He loved picking wild blackberries and blueberries.  He helped Janet and Terry pick berries to sell so we could go to the summer District Assemblies.  We also spent countless hours fishing, though we rarely caught anything.  His biggest catch was an octopus that grabbed hold of the boat he and George Knierim were in.  Ted also loved baseball.  His cousins always talked about how they would play down in Interbay.  He was a big fan of the Seattle Pilots and later of the Seattle Mariners.  He often took the grandkids to games, loading up on candy and snacks before they went.  Later, as he lay in a coma at Harborview we would turn on the Mariner games so that he could hear them.  When he came home, Bev, Janet and Bob started taking him to the games and also became fans of the Mariners.  Even as he became bed-ridden, he always watched the games and we could always tell how he thought they were playing by the noises he made.

Ted loved his family and his grandchildren, Gretchen (Dave) Wailes, Cynthia, Garrett and Ashley Miller.  He saw his family expand with the addition of three great-grandchildren, Madison Maez, Jacob and Savanna Wailes.  He was predeceased in death by his parents, his brothers Tony, Joe, and Mike and his sister Catherine.  Several nieces and nephews survive. 

He will be greatly missed, but we know that he now sleeps in death awaiting the resurrection on a peaceful new earth.  We will miss you dad and we’ll do our best to look after mom who gave so much of herself caring for you.

Private burial was held at Tahoma National Cemetery.  A memorial will be held at 2:00 pm., Saturday, May 9, 2009 at the Aurora Village Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses  2960 NE 200^th.,  Shoreline,Wa.