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

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.

Geneva Gwendolyn Quinn passed away at Evergreen Hospice in Kirkland, Washington on April 28, 2009 at the age of 86.  Proceeded in death by her husband Dan, brothers Roy and Troy and sisters Cleta and Juanita.  She is survived by her brother Russell and sisters Mary, Lorene and Loretta, her children Alan, Marilyn, JoAnn and Dan, grandchildren Ryan, Mary Jo, Shannon, Casey, Ricki, Colby and Kyle, great grandchildren, Will, Cameron and Ruby.
 
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Northwest Parkinson Foundation
                                                                400 Mercer St, #401
                                                                Seattle, WA  98109
                                                                1-877-980-7500

Gary Lanksbury died on April 18th from complications caused by the disease, Amyloidosis. He was born in Seattle in 1932, raised in Kirkland and graduated from Lake Washington High School in 1950.  He lived most of his life in the Greater Seattle area. In the 50s he served four years in the US Navy and achieved the rank of Yeoman 1st class. During most of that tour of service he was stationed in the Mediterranean.  He spent most of his career as a computer programmer, working for a time for Standard Oil in SanFrancisco and then Bekins Moving and Storage in Seattle. Gary had many hobbies and many friends. One achievement he was proud of was finishing quilts for The Ronald McDonald House. His hobbies included traveling, quilting, gardening, making teddy bears, collecting Heisey crystal, sewing and needlepoint, photography, cooking, pottery, art and antique collecting, being part of the Kirkland Heritage Society and many more. In 1992, Gary met Wayne and they built a home together in Bellevue. He is survived by his domestic partner, Wayne Bitterman and their cat, Tessie. Remembrances can be given to the Bailey-Boushay House, The Pride Foundation, or Lifelong AIDS Alliance and specify The Chicken Soup Brigade. Gary also loved tea and instead of a memorial service, people are asked to hold a tea party in his honor. Groups like his quilting, needlepoint and Heisey groups could get together. Even a single person could toast Gary with a cup of tea. Then send short notes of remembrance and photos to Wayne Bitterman at lanksbury@comcast.com. I’ll then create a memorial web site that will be a tribute to our wonderful friend. The site URL will be–
 http://home.comcast.net/~lanksbury/

“BJ” Flanary

Billie Joe “BJ” Flanary was born January 16, 1944 in Mt. Airy, MD.  He was the fifth of eight children.  As a  young boy, BJ grew to love horses while working on a Thoroughbred farm in Frederick, MD.  As a young man, he was an air policeman in the USAF and received the Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon and National Defense Service Medal.  BJ loved to entertain us all with stories about his horses, Jubilee, Amanda, Sweet Baby, Rocky, Dusty and Sox, and especially his three Beagles, Toby, Tyler and Trueman.  Everyone enjoyed BJ’s stories – over and over again – but that’s one of the many things we all loved about him.  BJ was an extremely compassionate and very giving person.  If you asked him for a favor, or even if you didn’t, he was right there to help.  BJ is survived by his daughter, Kimberly Ann Squires, and his wife of 24 years, Cindy.  We will all miss him terribly.  A Celebration of BJ’s Life will be held on May 9, from 12 – 4 p.m. at the Columbia Crest Winery in Woodinville.  Details will follow.  Thank you.

“BJ” Flanary

Doris D. Elliott (ne Doris Virginia Dunkel), age 90, of Edmonds, Washington, passed away on April 19, 2009, at Stevens Hospital, with her loving family by her side. Born on a farm in Clark County, Ohio, December 23, 1918, to Gladdys and Howard Dunkel, she grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, attending Western Hills High School and then Western College for Women (now Miami University in Oxford, Ohio) and the University of Cincinnati, and majoring in English literature.  Her only sibling, a brother born in 1926 with Down’s Syndrome, died in 1947.

In 1941, she married Roger Hancock Elliott, a mechanical engineer from Purdue and they moved to College Station, Texas, where he taught a year at Texas A&M.  Doris became the first woman on the all-male campus to ever perform skits on their local radio station, WTAW.  From College Station, she and Roger moved to Kansas City, where he took a job with Bendix Aviation Corporation and Doris assumed the role of raising their three children, Roger, Jr., Barbara (Machin) and Ken.

During the twenty-seven years residing in Kansas City, first in Mission, Kansas and then Overland Park, Kansas, Doris became deeply involved in politics, chairing the Women’s Republican Party of Northeast Johnson County in the 1960’s.  She also worked for a short time as the Executive Secretary for the Prairie Village, Kansas, Shopping Center.

In 1970, Bendix transferred Roger to Sedro Woolley, Washington, and they built a home overlooking Puget Sound on Samish Island.  Doris loved living in the semi-wilderness despite her urban upbringing and hated to leave in 1974, after Roger suffered a major stroke.  They first moved to Edmonds to be closer to medical care, but then moved to Dayton, Ohio, to be closer to family, and from there to Corpus Christi, Texas to be near her oldest son, Roger Jr.  After her husband’s death in 1979, she moved back to the Northwest, which she had come to love, and settled in Edmonds for the remainder of her life.

Next to her children and grandchildren, Doris’ second love was to travel, which she did extensively.  She could proudly boast of having visited 46 of the 50 states, pre-Castor Cuba and Mexico.  She cruised to Alaska while Ken, her youngest, lived there and made three trips to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates while Roger Jr., her oldest, lived there.  On one of her journeys, she visited Egypt, cruised down the Nile and went wadi bashing in Oman.  She saw the Hawaiian Island of Oahu when Ken was married there and toured Peru, including Cuzco and Machu Pichuu, when Roger Jr. lived there.

Doris’ third love was her dogs, all dachshunds except for her last companion, Nacho, a long-haired chihuahua she inherited from a friend.  She had the ability to calm and train even the most difficult breeds. 

Doris is survived by two of her three children, Ken (Elena) and Barbara (Peter Andrew Mechin), five grandchildren, Michael Elliott (Nicki), Scott Elliott, Rhonda Elliott, Venice Harris (John) and one great grandson, Cole Harris.  A memorial service will be held at Maplewood Presbyterian.  There will be no visitation.  The family requests that memorial tributes be made to the charity of the donor’s choice.

Robert Allen Bell

1928-2009

Robert “Bob” Bell was called into heaven on the evening of Easter Sunday. He was surrounded by his family whom he always placed first in his life.

Bob Bell was true blue Seattleite. He was born here, attended Lincoln High School, studied engineering at Seattle University and later met his beloved wife of 56 years, Nancy Criez, while skating at Bitter Lake. He only left his city to serve his country in the US Navy in the waters off of Korea in the early Fifties.

Under Bob’s decades of leadership he grew the family run business, Skyline Electric, into a highly respected and successful electrical manufacturing company. Bob was known as a resourceful and inventive engineer. He also paved the way for the continued success and leadership of Skyline within the family.

Bob had an easy going love of life which was felt immediately with his broad smile and infectious good nature. His enthusiasm for the simple pleasures was also extensive including a talent for music whether it was playing the ukulele or the stand up bass. He was a regular musician with the Edmonds Senior Swingers. In his younger years he was happiest skiing and teaching skiing at Stevens Pass with the Lake City Elks and in his later years he spent countless days with his wife and family at their favored retreat on Camano Island. There is also a mint condition Model A in his garage that he beautifully restored but reserved only for special occasion outings. Many hours were also devoted to his outdoor interests of fishing and hunting and to his indoor hideaway global Ham radio communications.

Robert A Bell is survived by his loving wife, Nancy, two sisters, Shirley and Bonnie, his son Michael, his daughter Deborah, and a daughter who preceded him in death, Jeanene. He has six wonderful grandchildren, Greg, Kelsea, Steven, Hanna, Brenna and Jack. He was also always surrounded by loving friends.

The family would like to also acknowledge the special and compassionate care Bob received during his medical challenges: the staff of Northwest Hospital, the Puget Sound Cancer Care Centers and the staff at Harborview Medical Center.

 A Memorial Service will be held at 6:00 PM Monday, April 20^th, at St Matthew Church in North Seattle honoring his life.  Reception to follow.

Donations in Bob’s honor may be sent to the American Cancer Society

728 134^th St. SW        

Suite 101

Everett, WA 98204-1140

1-800-227-2345

 Robert Allen Bell

1928-2009

Robert “Bob” Bell was called into heaven on the evening of Easter Sunday. He was surrounded by his family whom he always placed first in his life.

Bob Bell was true blue Seattleite. He was born here, attended Lincoln High School, studied engineering at Seattle University and later met his beloved wife of 56 years, Nancy Criez, while skating at Bitter Lake. He only left his city to serve his country in the US Navy in the waters off of Korea in the early Fifties.

Under Bob’s decades of leadership he grew the family run business, Skyline Electric, into a highly respected and successful electrical manufacturing company. Bob was known as a resourceful and inventive engineer. He also paved the way for the continued success and leadership of Skyline within the family.

Bob had an easy going love of life which was felt immediately with his broad smile and infectious good nature. His enthusiasm for the simple pleasures was also extensive including a talent for music whether it was playing the ukulele or the stand up bass. He was a regular musician with the Edmonds Senior Swingers. In his younger years he was happiest skiing and teaching skiing at Stevens Pass with the Lake City Elks and in his later years he spent countless days with his wife and family at their favored retreat on Camano Island. There is also a mint condition Model A in his garage that he beautifully restored but reserved only for special occasion outings. Many hours were also devoted to his outdoor interests of fishing and hunting and to his indoor hideaway global Ham radio communications.

Robert A Bell is survived by his loving wife, Nancy, two sisters, Shirley and Bonnie, his son Michael, his daughter Deborah, and a daughter who preceded him in death, Jeanene. He has six wonderful grandchildren, Greg, Kelsea, Steven, Hanna, Brenna and Jack. He was also always surrounded by loving friends.

The family would like to also acknowledge the special and compassionate care Bob received during his medical challenges: the staff of Northwest Hospital, the Puget Sound Cancer Care Centers and the staff at Harborview Medical Center.

 A Memorial Service will be held at 6:00 PM Monday, April 20^th, at St Matthew Church in North Seattle honoring his life.  Reception to follow.

Donations in Bob’s honor may be sent to the American Cancer Society

728 134^th St. SW        

Suite 101

Everett, WA 98204-1140

1-800-227-2345

Barbara Jane Bie

Barbara Jane Bie,

79, passed away Saturday, April 4 in her home in Edmonds Washington after a long illness.

Barbara was born in Sacramento, California to Alice and Clarence Anable. The baby of the family, Barbara had two brothers and two sisters. Her father died when she was only 18 months old and she and siblings were raised by her single mother in the depression years. Times were hard but Barbara was surrounded by the love of her siblings.

At 20, Barbara was married to her first husband, Charles Barker. They were married for 14 years, had two children, Andrew and Kathleen. Once the children were of school age, Barbara began her career in real estate. She was a real estate agent and then moved up to become an Escrow officer.

In 1971, Barbara married the love of her life, Alf Bie and spent many happy years with him. During those years, Barbara also faced breast cancer and tongue cancer but was victorious over both. Barbara and Alf loved boating and spending time with their friends. They often took their boat, the “Bie and Bie” out of the Shilshole marina on fishing trips or leisurely jaunts to the San Juans. Alf and Barbara were active members of the Norwegian Seamen’s Club in Ballard, where Barbara acted as secretary for many years. Barbara loved music and she would often sing at open-mike nights at local restaurants.

Alf’s passing in 1998 was a very difficult time in Barbara’s life and she became severely depressed. After spinal surgery in 2000, Barbara was unable to walk, or feed, or dress herself. She bravely faced physical and occupational therapy to bring herself to being fully independent again. Unfortunately, a bad decision to take herself off antidepressants “cold turkey” resulted in serious mental confusion that eventually lead to her hospitalization again. Again, Barbara overcame her problems with the help of her doctors and returned to her home in Ballard. Barbara was determined to stay in her home as long as she could and it wasn’t until 2004 that she moved to an assisted living situation, when she could no longer safely live alone. A choking event shortly after moving to the assisted living facility sent Barbara to the hospital again. She had severe damage to her lungs and the doctors gave her less than 10 days to live. However, Barbara woke up one day in the hospice hospital and told her daughter, “I want to stay.”  And stay she did, Barbara moved into the Lake Serene Adult Family Home where she recovered enough to graduate from the hospice program. She was happy and well cared for by her caregivers, and she formed a close bond with her caregiver and friend Gloria. She received weekly visits from her son Andrew, Daughter Kathleen, and her granddaughter Elena. She continued to thrive in this loving environment until fall of 2008 when she was once again put in the hospice program when her condition worsened. Through the many ups and downs in Barbara’s life she always maintained her sense of humor and her love for her family.

In final days, Barbara was able to say her good-byes and express her gratitude, contentment, and happiness. The hospice nurse who was with Barbara at the time of her passing said that Barbara was not in pain and passed peacefully in her sleep. Barbara made her transition quickly with the help of her loved ones on the other side.

Barbara was preceded in death by her father and mother, her brothers Bill and Ed and her sister Mary. Barbara was survived by her son Andrew and her daughter Kathleen, her granddaughters Emily and Elena, her great grandchildren, Coby, Holly, Janey, and Joey. Her sister Janet, and her nieces Claudia, Judy, Debbie, Penny and Davery and her nephew Tim, also survive her.

A small memorial service is planned for warmer weather. Her son and daughter plan to scatter her ashes in Puget Sound where she spent some of her happiest days with her beloved husband Alf.

Linda Parks Jackson

Linda was born February 9^th, 1952 in Seattle, WA and was the middle of five children.  Her family moved to Seldovia in 1966 where her father was a commercial fisherman.  She graduated from Seldovia High School in 1970.  Linda and Ole married on April 30, 1972 and lived in Seldovia until 1981 at which time they moved to the Everett area where they raised their two children.  She attended Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle where she refined her natural artistic abilities. 

In the 90’s, she worked at the Lynwood Nordstrom Rack for several years and most recently, co-owned and operated the Rushlight Candle Company with her best friend, Cathy Seville.  Linda’s greatest love was being with her family and friends whether that was a family trip to Hawaii to visit her parents, a get-together with ‘the girls’ to celebrate a birthday or a barbeque with the whole gang in the backyard.  Linda loved her husband, son and daughter beyond measure and their love for her was returned in kind. She was a beautiful woman with a stunning smile; she put on many delicious and hilarious parties and was a fabulous cook; she had a lightness of spirit and an infectious laugh.  She will best be remembered for her warmth, kind heart and love of life.  She drew people to her like a magnet … her friends adored her.

In addition to her husband and children, she is survived by her parents, Jack and Rosie Parks of Pukalani, Maui, HI, her brother Tom and his wife Marcia Parks, sister Sue Parks, and brother Mike Parks and his partner, Sue Beck, all of the Seattle area and sister Jackie and her husband Bruce Coffelt of St. Johns, MI.  She was the aunt of Tricia Parks-Alseth, Jeff and Joe Parks, Ryan Parks, all of the Seattle area, and Jared and Malia Coffelt of St. Johns, MI.  She will be greatly missed by the Jackson’s close circle of friends: Cathy and John Seville, Cindy and Tim Callahan, Robin  and Danny Warren, Frank and Chris Kashevarof, and their beloved family pets, Auggie, Bubba, Boggie and Roxy.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the American Cancer Society.

Caden Gordon Chapin

Caden Gordon Chapin
 August 29, 2005 – April 10, 2009

Caden Gordon Chapin, age 3, of Kirkland, died on April 10, 2009 at Children’s Hospital in Seattle.  He was born August 29, 2005 in Bellevue, WA. Caden was loved dearly by family and friends who will always cherish their time with him. Caden loved playing with his doggy, cars, reading books, and spending time with his family and many friends.  He touched the lives of others in both joy and sadness.  His smile and enduring strength will be remembered forever.
 
Caden was preceeded in death by his siblings Sarah and Brennen.
 
Caden will be deeply missed by his parents, Randall and Jane, his brother Jordan and  sister Megan, his great grandmother, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and many devoted friends.
 
Thr Rosary, vigil and viewing will be at Sacred Heart Church on Monday April 20th at 7:00 pm. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday April 21, 2009, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 9460 NE 14th Street, Bellevue.  Burial will follow at Calvary Cemetery in Seattle.

A memorial fund has been set up in Caden’s name.  You may make donations to:

Children’s Hospital Foundation

In memory of Caden Chapin

To benefit the Medically Complex Child Service

PO.Box 50020

Seattle WA 98145

Please sign the on-line guestbook below.

Marie Magdalen McCullough was born to Frederick and Anna Young in Pottstown PA on May 13, 1921. She was the youngest of 6 children … an apple cheeked, tom-boy, farm girl named after her father’s sister, Mary. She was raised in rural NJ and graduated Salutatorian from Haddonfield High School in 1938. On May 30, 1942 she married the love of her life, Chet E. McCullough. They later lived in Palmyra, NJ and raised 4 children; Barry, Gerry, Mike and Patty.

She worked at Esterbrook Pen, RCA, Macmillan Publishers, and most notably as a cashier – hostess at Villari’s Milmarian Restaurant. She was active in Sacred Heart PTA, served as president of the Woman’s Democratic Club, and held the position of municipal court clerk and tax collector in Palmyra.

She retired to Kent, WA in 1986 and became involved with the Kent Senior Activity Center enjoying frequent hikes and trips. She was a mentor at Kent Elementary School, was involved in the Parenting Plus program, and chaperoned many field trips. She knitted and crocheted 100’s of items (hats, scarves and leggings) for the homeless in South King County through Knit-It-All and made hats and blankets for babies at the Pediatric Interim Care Center in Kent. She was involved with Holy Spirit Church as a Grief minister and Eucharistic minister.

Due to a debilitating medical condition, she spent the next 5 years as a resident at Stafford Suites and then as a resident of East Hill Elder Care. She died peacefully in the arms of God at Valley Medical Center on March 27, 2009.

Her greatest gift to us was her mother’s love … it was bottomless and never-ending, so naturally her last words to each of us as children, grandchildren or great-grandchildren was “I love you”.

She is survived by a sister Helen in Palm Coast, FL; her four children: Barry and his wife Barbara of Middleton, DE; Gerry and her husband, Bob of Lowell, OR; Mike of Silver Spring, MD; and Patty of Elkton, MD. Her grandchildren include Brenda, Brian, Jody, Bevin and Megan and her great- grandchildren are Genia, Kay-Leigh, Kieran, Krystelle, Teddi-Anne and Delilah.

A memorial mass will be held at 10am on May 13 (her birthday) at Holy Spirit Church in Kent followed by a reception. Remembrance donations in her name can be made to any Catholic charity or church.

When my life here is over,

And I escape this earth,

I’ll go back to my God,

For Him to judge my worth.

Buy no flowers for me.

I’ll not see nor smell them there.

Just say a prayer for me,

When you think of me and care.

And think of me real often,

Especially when your day

Is filled with fun and gladness;

Remember me that way.

By Marie M. McCullough

January 1989

FRANK A. ABERTE

Born to Louis and Frances Alberte on June 17, 1935 in Brooklyn, New York.  Passed on March 20, 2009 after a long and courageous battle with cancer.  Frank served in the U.S. Navy as commissary man from 1953 retired in 1972 as Chief Petty Officer.  He served all over the globe including Keflavik, Iceland where he met his loving wife Gerda.  The two married September 23, 1962.  After his service in the Navy Frank worked for the Washington State Department of Corrections as food service manager from 1972 until his retirement in 1991.  Following his retirement from Department of Corrections, Frank worked for food service at children’s hospital for 5 years. Before the conclusion of a lengthy career Frank was regarded by all who knew him to be funny, intelligent and extremely kind and generous.  He is survived by his wife Gerda, sons Frank D. Alberte  and Gernot Kraft, devoted sister Lois Bachonski and her husband Eddy of Old Bridge, New Jersey.  Grandson Gernot  Kraft, Jr., two nephews Stan Bachonski and Jesse Bachonski, two grand nieces Brooke and Gianna Bachonski and countless friends.  Private family services will be held at a later date.  Memorial donations maybe made to VFW.

Robert Alton Turple

Bob was born May 29, 1933 in Snoqualmie Falls, Washington to Ransford and Helen Tu7rple.  He passed away on March 15, 2009 after a 2 year battle with cancer.  He graduated from Lake Washington High School in 1951 and attended Washington State University, earning a degree in Civil Engineering in 1955.  He completed advanced engineering studies at the university of Washington and graduated from the Engineer Officers Basic Course at Ft. Belvior, VA in 1957. 

He entered the US Army as a 2^nd Lieutenant and proudly served his country in Vietnam.  After his Army discharge he joined the US Corps of Engineers retiring after 40 years.  During this time he traveled extensively for the Corps, working in such countries as Saudi Arabia, the Philippines, Western Europe and the United States.  He always returned to Redmond Washington after a project was completed; before heading off to a new adventure.  During his working years he learned to fly and earned a private pilot’s license. 

In retirement he enjoyed growing crops on his land in Redmond and raising trees for forestry planting.

He leaves a brother, Ellsworth (Patricia); sister, Irene Dooley (Jim) and numerous nephews and nieces.  Funeral Services will be held on Thursday, March 26, 2009

At 11:00am at St Jude Catholic Church in Redmond. Interment will be at Cedar Lawns Cemetery in Redmond.

His independent demeanor will be missed.

Rodena Whitaker

July 10, 1943 – March 15, 2009

In her own words…

 Each of you knows how much I have loved gardening through the years.  You also know the joy I found in watching my flowers bloom and seeing birds and other animals enter my gardens.  I love flowers best when they are growing and blooming not in  man made arrangements.  In the future I ask that when you see a garden, a flower, a bird or other wild animal which catches your eye please remember a good time we have shared.  I will treasure always all the good times and memories we have shared.  Bert and the girls will see my flowers bloom each year as our extensive rhodie and azalea collection which surround our home usher in spring and summer.

I remember each of you fondly as I enjoy each day to the fullest.  I ponder with curiosity the events to unfold during these times of historic changes in our country and the technology of the future.  I feel the love and support of my family and friends of many years.  I hope you will continue to give Bert and the girls the same in years to come.

MS has touched my life and other family members of Bert’s and my generation.  By nature of the disease our daughters and grandchildren and extended family generations to come could face this life changing condition.  If you feel you must do something following my death please consider a donation to the MS society to help find a cure for MS.  Such a donation could be the one that saves one of our loved ones from an MS diagnosis and battle.

I enjoyed each moment I had with a joyful heart.  We laugh often here.  Remember the good things, enjoy the little joys of life.  I am at peace and savored each moment.

Fondly,

Rodena