The Islands’ Sounder is paying tribute to the following community members whose obituaries were published in 2008.
Margaret Marie Schulz
Dec. 14, 2007
Margaret took great pride and pleasure in her family, home, and gardens. She used to say, “You can’t be too thin, have too much money, or have too many yellow flowers.”
Frances “Fran” Eggert
Marble
Dec. 18, 2007
Fran died from injuries sustained in an auto accident on Lopez Island. She loved to play bridge and helped form a bridge club on the island. She was also a volunteer for the Lopez Island Thrift Shop.
David Chancellor Black
Dec. 24, 2007
David died of pancreatic cancer. He will be remembered by his family and his many friends for his integrity, humility, kindness, gentle spirit, sense of humor, and enduring optimism. His generosity and commitment to serving others inspired all who knew him.
Bernita Ellen Sedenko
Dec. 26, 2007
Bernita was very active in the PTA and many school activities with her children. She enjoyed walking, cooking, and was involved in her church.
Fred T. Darvill, Jr. M.D
Dec. 29, 2007
Fred helped establish the intensive care and coronary care units at Skagit Valley Hospital. A passionate environmentalist, he helped establish North Cascades National Park and wrote and edited 14 editions of “Mountaineering Medicine.”
Donald E. Reardon
Jan. 6, 2008
Don worked for the Atomic Energy Commission and was Deputy Ambassador to Austria. He enjoyed sailing, hiking and camping. He considered his marriage to Ann Marie to be his most significant accomplishment.
Michael Lewis Paluck
Jan. 7, 2008
Michael shared the love of the water and boating with his mother. He was involved with the Orcas Island Yacht Club, the SeaDoc Society, the Power Squadron, and was also very supportive of the Humane Society.
Beulah Bell Swan
Jan. 17, 2008
During the depression, Beulah was able to warm her family with simple pleasures. Hot cocoa and toast (cookies when the budget allowed) became parties during the difficult times. Beulah lived on Orcas Island until she was age 96.
Oscar W. Anderson
Jan. 24, 2008
Oscar was born and passed away on Lopez. He was in the Navy and retired from the Washington State Ferries in 1983. He was well-known by the community, working for the ferry system and as a smelt fisherman in Mud Bay in his earlier years.
Wendell C. Brainerd
Jan. 30, 2008
Wendell was committed to the work of the Lutheran Church in the San Juans, the Lopez Island Lions Club, Lopez Island Hospice and Home Support and Lopez Senior Services. He was the president of the Lopez Lions club at the time of his death.
Lee Waltersdorph
Feb. 7, 2008
Lee loved skiing, sailing, soccer, tennis and riding his motorcycle. He was a long time member of the National Ski Patrol at White Pass Ski Area.
Anne Carter Shelly
Feb. 9, 2008
Anne was one of the first women to be ordained in the Presbyterian Church in North Carolina. While on Orcas she made progress writing a book on stepmothers. She was also a trustee of the Orcas Island Public Library.
Andrew “Andy” Martin
Holland
Feb. 10, 2008
Andy is credited with helping start the Lopez Center for Community and the Arts. He and his wife Dolly (who passed away in 1993) are honored annually with the island’s Community Spirit Award. The baseball field adjacent to Lopez High School was named in his memory.
Marcy Lund Parker
March 5, 2008
Marcy opened Café Olga in 1981. She worked with The Madrona Point Committee to save that sacred land and went on to serve several years on the San Juan County Land Bank.
Eugene Herz
March 10, 2008
Gene was a regular at the Orcas Senior Lunch where he entertained his friends with his stories and jokes. He made Island Market his “indoor fitness center” where he did “laps” up and down the aisles, shopping and joking with the clerks. He was known by his NY Giants baseball cap and sense of humor.
Sally Penning Brown
Laurie
March 15, 2008
A true nature lover, Sally kept most of her five acres on Orcas Island pristine-wild. Her birdfeeders and hummingbird bottles were never allowed to be empty. She died on March 15, a date that marks the “return of the Hummingbirds” in the San Juan Islands.
Tom C. Pemberton
April 4, 2008
Tom was a celebrated bronze sculptor and island resident for 23 years. In 1999 he wrote “Bronze on the Rocks.” His life-size bronze sculpture “Puddles,” featuring two children, stands in front of Friday Harbor Elementary School.
John Stephen Day
April 18, 2008
John married Lynn Starrett on July 11, 1983 and moved to Orcas Island in 1995.
Anthony Crawford
Richardson
April 21, 2008
Anthony helped his wife create the Dragonfly Garden sanctuary on their property. He spoke on “Developing Energy Awareness” and “Spiritual Astrology” as a part of Saturday Sunrise Talks in their garden. He was a widely respected tenor in Orcas A Capella.
Wilbur Sharkey Tyree
April 22, 2008
Wilbur served in the U.S. Navy for 25 years during WWII, Korea and peacetime. After he retired he worked for Ford Aerospace in Palo Alto, California for 20 years, retiring again in 1981. He was a member of the Orcas Island Community Church. On February, 13, 2008, he and his wife celebrated 64 years of marriage.
Irma Lucille
Williamson
May, 2008
Irma loved movies, especially the movies of her era: the 30s, 40s and 50s. She was very knowledgeable about film stars of that time. She was a terrific cook, having learned culinary arts from her parents of French, Swiss and Italian descent.
John F Hogan, Jr.
May 14, 2008
John was an enthusiastic patron of the Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival and will be remembered for his enjoyment of Orcas summers and frequent winter respites on the island.
Thomas Alexander
Frazier
May 17, 2008
In his lifetime, Thomas logged nearly 35,000 hours in aircraft ranging from the J3 Cub in the military to DC10s as a commercial airline pilot. He became known as the guy who could fix most anything or make parts that were no longer available.
LeOra Helen Melvin
May 25, 2008
Widowed in 1968 at the age of 51, LeOra learned to drive and became the postmaster in Olga. At the age of 70, she enrolled with her granddaughter Julie Eastman at Skagit Valley College. While a student, she and Julie were exchange students at the University of London for three months. LeOra graduated from college at the age of 72.
Alice K. (Lemon
Johnson
May 31, 2008
Alice was born in Atlanta and grew up in Richmond Beach where she met and married Carl Johnson and enjoyed a wonderful 41-year marriage. She received a Masters Degree in Librarianship from CWCE in 1977 and served in college libraries and the Orcas library. She built a log house on Orcas in 1985 where she made many devoted friends. She was a great reader, loved to learn, a master weaver, and enjoyed classical music.
June Hart O’Dell
July 2, 2008
June played the piano and organ for dances and as entertainment music at Rosario. She had many interests that included knitting, quilting, fishing, traveling, and playing bridge, in which she received her Master Certificate. She was also instrumental in many plays and shows that were presented at the Orcas Community Theater.
Shirley Dever
July 2, 2008
Shirley lived in the White Beach area. She was a magazine writer.
Christopher David
MacDonald
July 17, 2008
Chris was a kind and loving person. Riding his motorcycle and camping were his joy, and where he found peace. He was an advocate of motorcycle safety and an avid and experienced rider who rode with motorcycle groups and enjoyed writing about his experiences. He was known for his contagious smile and congenial manner.
Derek Malcolm Homes Lowe
July 27, 2008
Derek was educated at Lord Wandsworth College and the University of London and spent most of his life as an aeronautical engineer specializing in aerodynamics in the field of flight testing in England, Canada and the United States. In retirement he devoted himself to his life-long interest in binding, repair and restoration of rare and antiquarian books.
Clarice L. Lakey
July 29, 2008
Clarice enjoyed traveling worldwide and spending time with her family and friends, particularly in the San Juans. She camped and boated here since 1963.
Marilyn Patterson
Koral
Aug. 1, 2008
Marilyn moved to Orcas in 1976. Marilyn will always be remembered as a wonderful mother.
Larry Johanson
Aug. 9, 2008
Larry was a lifetime resident of Bellingham until five years ago when he and his wife of 50 years, Beverly, moved to the family property on Doe Bay. He came as a child to the Culver farmhouse, near Point Lawrence, built in the 1890s for his great-grandparents. With the purchase of family property on Doe Bay in the 1940s, the venue shifted, but not his love for the island. Known for his quick wit, long stories and conversational prowess, Larry had a gift for putting people at ease and made doing so a priority.
Canterbury Theodore
(Barry) Hatten
Aug. 17, 2008
After Barry received his law degree, he practiced union, civil rights, criminal and poor people’s law in Seattle. He longshored in San Francisco during WWII and then again in the 1950s. He had a nearly fatal car accident in 1954; he received two skull fractures, four jaw fractures, two leg and one arm fracture. He then went back to practicing law, until his retirement.
Patricia Frances
Sterling Moran
Aug. 22, 2008
Pat and her husband Reeves settled on Orcas Island, where they raised their five children and owned the Pioneer Insurance Agency of Orcas. In 1980 they moved to Bainbridge Island, where she lived out the rest of her life. She volunteered at Children’s Orthopedic Guild and Tuesday bridge at the Senior Center. She had a passion for music and was the first woman to be invited to sing in the Bainbridge Men’s Quartet.
Darlene Pohl
Aug. 26, 2008
Darlene was the Assistant Director at The Funhouse and a member of the Lighthouse Christian Center. She left hundreds of Orcas Islanders with warm memories of a generous young woman characterized by a love for fun and for others. In high school, she was a member of a drama club called that prepared skits and performances to discourage kids from using drugs. She was a pom pom girl, played on the basketball team and was active in her church.
John Paul Sontra
Sept. 1, 2008
John loved the islands of the northwest from his childhood so much that he moved to Orcas 14 years ago. He lived on Orcas for 10 years before buying a house in Anacortes. He enjoyed playing with his grandchildren (this included behaving like them), his motorcycle, gardening and landscaping in his yard, and driving off into the northwest countryside.
Ann Elizabeth
Slocombe
Sept. 3, 2008
Upon retirement, Ann and her husband Russell moved back to Orcas. Following Russell’s death, Ann moved to Friday Harbor with her daughter, where she volunteered at the Senior Centers on both Orcas and Friday Harbor. Ann was with the American Legion Auxiliary on Orcas. She enjoyed all needlework, but especially liked to knit.
Matthew Kenneth
Johnson
Sept. 4, 2008
Matt graduated from Friday Harbor High School in 1992. After his junior year in college, he married his best friend from the 5th grade, Jackie King. He graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in Economics, and the following year he began work as a commercial electrician for a Seattle firm. Matt loved snowmobiling, skiing, fishing, watching football, coaching his kids’ sports, and spending time with family and friends.
Mel Boring
Sept. 12, 2008
Mel’s interests included reading, music, photography, bicycling, collecting, exploration and research. There truly was not a subject that did not interest him. Above all, he loved engaging with people of all ages and had a special gift for drawing out even the most reticent. Mel lived his life with enthusiasm, spontaneity and a ready sense of adventure.
LaVerne “Pinky” Miller
Sept. 16, 2008
Pinky owned property on Orcas since 1953 and retired here in 1982. He worked at the Boeing Company for 40 years. During World War II, he served three years in the Navy.
Jerene Hansen
Sept. 20, 2008
Jerene was a former resident of Shaw, where she lived in a house overlooking the ferry landing and made many enduring friends. She served as librarian at Shaw Island Library, as well as assisting with the museum. She was a homemaker and artist and left many beautiful and unique works of art as well as many happy memories of warm and lively Sunday night family dinners in her kitchen.
Marion Keller
Wiseman
Sept. 30, 2008
Marion was a beloved member of the Orcas Island community since 1967. She celebrated her 96th birthdday on Sept. 17 and was the guest of honor at a dinner party celebrating this milestone just two weeks before her death. Marion and husband Irwin “Doc” Wiseman enjoyed many outdoor activities together such as fly fishing. She was a potter, a photographer, a committed gardener, avid reader, friend to many, and a woman of great wit.
Dana Lou Mullan
Oct.12, 2008
Dana grew up on a cattle ranch in Eastern Washington where she developed a lifelong love of horses. She moved to Seattle in 1990 and met her husband, best friend, and soul mate, Terry, in 1991. They married in 1997 and moved to Orcas Island in 1999. Dana was a devout Christian and immersed in activities at Orcas Island Community Church. She was active in the community and with her sons’ sports leagues.
Natalie Berry White
Oct. 4, 2008
Natalie was born in Tacoma, Wash., on Feb. 9 1928 and died in Deer Harbor.
Murray Bowes
Oct. 8, 2008
An entrepreneur at heart, Murray ran a publishing company in Kent, Ohio. In 1983, he authored “The Personal Computer Buyer’s Guide.” This book caught the eye of Krupp-Taylor, the advertising company holding Apple Computer’s first account, and propelled his marketing career. In 1996, the accomplished musician and songwriter followed his life-long dream and produced an album. Titled “Third Stone Out,” it was a testament to his love for rock ‘n roll. Murray, with his wife and daughter, moved to Orcas Island in 2003 to live the good life and sail.
Ronald Craig Richey
Oct. 28, 2008
Ronald lived on Orcas Island for 20 years. He was married on March 12, 1990 at Rosario Resort to Carolen Valenzuela. Ronald was a simple man wanting the simple things in life. He loved little children. Saturday was his favorite day of the week, when he watched his Western movies on TV. He loved traveling around the world.
Winnifred (Winnie)
Faye Walstrom-Easterly
Nov. 6, 2008
Winnie worked as a waitress at the Imperial Café, Hazel’s Café, and others in Bellingham. When Hazel’s Café became available, Winnie bought the business. On July 1, 1964, she opened Win’s Drive-In in a vacant lot next to her café. That same year, her husband, Ernie, was lost in a drowning accident at Chuckanut Bay. At her 70th birthday party, Winnie renewed her friendship with Don Easterly of Blaine, Wash. and they were married in 1985.
Carolyn Wiley
Dec. 12, 2008
Carolyn moved to Orcas Island in 1975 where she worked at Washington Federal Savings and Loan for 14 years and met her husband, Mike Wiley, on a blind date. They enjoyed traveling, building their dream home, and their dogs, Mandy and Rudy. Carolyn was a long-time member of the Madrona Club and a volunteer at the Orcas Center. She was gifted with a green thumb and created beautiful gardens and areas of repose. She was also an accomplished artist.
