Orcas Island resident Victor Boede, 53, was killed in a single-car rollover accident early last week.
Emergency responders found Boede’s body beside Olga Road, just south of the Lambiel Museum on the morning of June 29, after a county road crew happened on the scene and called for help.
Boede was driving his 2010 Dodge Challenger home from the Rosario area around 9:30 p.m. on June 28, heading toward Eastsound, when he failed to negotiate a curve. The car crossed into the oncoming lane, left the roadway and went over a 10-foot embankment, striking several trees and landing on its top. The crash went undiscovered through the night.
“Speed is believed to be a contributing factor in this crash,” said sheriff Rob Nou.
Boede was not wearing a seatbelt, and he was ejected from the vehicle. Responders say he was believed to have been killed on impact.
Boede’s body was transported to the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s office in Everett. An investigation into the cause and circumstances of the crash is still being conducted by the sheriff’s office and county coroner.
Boede has lived on Orcas since the early 1970s; he moved to the island as a teen after the death of his mother, Dorothy. Boede’s grandmother was a Lindholm, and his father Ed was raised here, said islander Joyce Nigretto.
The Orcas Island Historical Museum showcases a log cabin lived in by Boede’s ancestors, original settlers to the island in the 1880s.
Boede leaves behind his wife Sally and his beloved blue heeler, Nippers, who was in the vehicle at the time of the accident. She was found wandering near the scene of the accident two days after the wreck. Nippers was bloody, terrified and had multiple puncture wounds, but was ecstatic to be reunited with Sally.
“He was very fond of his dog Nippers,” said Charlie Nigretto, who knew Boede for several decades. “He took her everywhere with him.”
Boede was employed by the Buck Mountain Homeowners’ Association as a maintenance technician, and worked odd jobs.
“He’s going to be missed; the one word I can say is, he was a character,” Charlie said. “He was an instigator; he liked to stir the pot.”
