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Drost, Michael Monday, 08 Nov 2004
Michael Drost, of Shelton, died at home on Nov. 8, 2004.
He was 36.
He was born in San Diego, Calif., on Nov. 11, 1967, to Louis and Sandra (Quick) Drost.
He was formerly married
to Kristina Neff of Port Orchard.
He worked as a merchant seaman on Alaska tankers, grain ships and container ships.
He was a member of the Seaman’s Institute of of Tacoma. He loved animals and the outdoors.
He is survived by his parents, Louis and Sandra Drost of Shelton; brother Steve Drost of Beaver Island, Mich.; grandfather Louis Drost of Charlevoix, Mich.; grandmother Gladys Quick, of Grant, Mich, ; and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts and uncles.
Funeral services were held on Nov. 15 at North Mason Bible Church in Shelton.
Quam, Ruth Thursday, 04 Nov 2004
Ruth Marie Quam, of Manchester, died on Nov. 4, 2004. She was 87.
She was born in Nebraska, raised on a Nebraska farm and attended Nebraska Wesleyan University.
She worked for the Battelle Institute in Columbus, Ohio, until he retirement in 1974.
She enjoyed the outdoors and, while living in Ohio, was a leader of the Buckeye Trails Association, which promoted and developed a statewide hiking trail network.
She and her husband were also active in the American Youth Hostel chapter in Columbus, Ohio, and during her retirement, was a member of the Audubon Society and the Nature Conservancy. The enjoyed Elder Hostel educational events, including trips to Alaska, and archeological digs in the southwest U.S.
She is survived by her husband, Norris Quam, of Manchester; sister Hazel Arthur; daughter Rachel Garland; sons Michael Quam and Richard Quam; and 10 grandchildren.
A memorial service was held on Nov. 14 at the Colby United Methodist Church.
Memorial donations can be made to the Nature Conservancy.
Bruckart, John Wednesday, 10 Nov 2004
John R. Bruckart, of Port Orchard, died on Nov. 10, 2004, at home.
He was 88.
He was born on Dec. 10, 1915, in Darrington, to John and Fay (Batdorf) Bruckart.
He married
Marian Kinsman in 1941. She preceded him in death in 1967.
He was re-married
to Gerry (Howe) Sprague in April 1968 in Port Orchard.
He attended high school in Olympia and Vancouver, Wash., and graduated from the University of Washington in 1937 with a degree in forestry.
He spent 42 years as co-owner of Taylor and Bruckart, Inc., a logging and log sales company in western Washington and British Columbia. He was also co-owner of Jim Creek Tree Farm, a managed forest near Arlington, until he sold his interest to his son, Steve Sprague.
He was member of the Society of American Foresters, Chi Psi, the Colege Club of Seattle, the Port Orchard Yacht Club, the U of W Tyee Club, the Kitsap Band Board, the Olympic College Board of Trustees, and he was active in the Kitsap County Republican Party and the Kiwanis Club of Port Orchard.
He is survived by his wife Gerry Bruckart, of Port Orchard; sons Stephen Sprague of Arlington, and William (and wife Betty Jeanne) Sprague of Belfair; daughter Susan (and husband J. Brook) Hamilton III of Lafayette, La.; and five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by sisters Virginia Pagter and Edith Elliott.
Memorial service plans are pending, followed by inurnment at Sunset Lane Memorial Park in Port Orchard.
Bigler, Everett Tuesday, 12 Oct 2004
Everett C. Bigler, of Port Orchard, died on Oct. 12, 2004, in Seattle.
He was 76.
He was born on March 6, 1928, in Centralia, to Russell and Anna C. (Ford) Bigler.
He married
Shirley Hunter on Aug. 30, 1947, in Rochester.
He graduated from Rochester (Wash.) High School in 1945 and completed an apprenticeship at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in 1949, where he worked as an electronics technician supervisor for 37 years before retiring in 1983.
He was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed hunting and fishing.
He is survived by his wife Shirley Bigler, of Port Orchard; daughters Pinne (and husband Jerry) Rose of Vacaville, Calif., and Maida Bigler of Eugene, Ore.; brothers David Bigler of Clackamas, and Stanley (and wife Sally) Bigler of Lakewood; and two grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by son Michael F. Bigler and brothers Glen and Richard Bigler.
There was a Celebration of Life Service at Rill Chapel’s Life Tribute in Port Orchard at 10 a.m. on Oct. 20.
Downey, Jacqueline Wednesday, 13 Oct 2004
Jacqueline V. Downey, of Port Orchard, died on Oct. 13, 2004, in Bremerton.
She was 72.
She was born on Jan. 4, 1932, in Seattle, to Loyal E. and Viann K. (Staudinger) Davis.
She married
Carin Cross “C.C.” Downey in Seattle on Feb. 17, 1956.
She graduated from West Seattle High School in 1950 and from college in San Francisco with an associate's degree in 1952.
She worked for eight years as a dental assistant and later spent 15 years working part-time in retail sales.
She was a member of the Children’s Hospital Orthopedic Guild, the Bethany Lutheran Guild, she was a past treasurer of the Evangelical Lutheran Ladies Mission Rally, she volunteered at Bethany Lutheran Elementary School and Group Health Cooperative.
Her hobbies included reading and gardening.
She was a Lutheran.
She was preceded in death by her husband, “C.C.” Downey, in 2000.
She is survived by daughters Leigh (and husband Michael) Snyder of Port Orchard, and Patricia Viann Downey of Port Orchard, and two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
There will be a memorial service on Oct. 23 at Bethany Lutheran Church in Port Orchard at 1 p.m.
Memorial donations can be made to the Bethany Lutheran Ladies Guild, 151 Tremont, Port Orchard, WA 98366.
DeFord, Byron Wednesday, 06 Oct 2004
Byron “Bud” Edward DeFord, a former Port Orchard resident, died Oct. 6 at Manor Care in Gig Harbor.
He was 79.
He was born April 5, 1925, in Talent, Ore., to Addie Laura (Cameron) and Byron Franklin DeFord.
During WWII, he served in the Army’s 34th Infantry Unit, which went to Aus-tralia, New Guinea and the Phillippines.
After his tour of service, he moved to Eastern Washington where he worked on a dairy farm, and ended up marrying the farmer’s daughter, Wilma Schmel-zer.
They had four children.
He also worked as an apprentice plumber and heating technician, a brush picker, mechanic, fisherman, Realtor, heavy machinery operator and payroll clerk.
He enjoyed building an repairing things, and loved living in the country, where he had farm animals.
He was known for his sense of humor and willingness to help others.
He was preceded in death by his sister, Mildred Schauer.
Survivors include his wife, Katie DeFord of Toledo; daughter Wanda Mindlin and her husband Jay of Florida; son Douglas DeFord, son Dean DeFord and wife Gloria, and son Bruce DeFord and wife Shirley, all of Port Orchard; and 14 grandchildren and five great grandchildren.
Middleton, Thomas Wednesday, 13 Oct 2004
Dr. Thomas Taylor Middleton, of Port Orchard, died on Oct. 13 at Harrison Memorial Hospital in Bremerton.
He was 86.
He was born on Jan. 3, 1918, in Tacoma to Allen and Anna (Gaynor) Middleton.
He married
Carol Hendrickson on Feb. 11, 1944, in Chicago.
He graduated from Stadium High School in Tacoma and the University of Washington before earning his medical degree from the Northwestern Medical School.
He served as a captain in the U.S. Army Medical Cops during World War II and maintained a medical practice in Port Orchard for many years before retiring in 1985.
He was a member of the Kitsap Medical Soci-ety and en-joyed sports, particularly local teams.
He was a member of St. Gabriel’s Catholic Church in Port Orchard.
He is survived by his wife, Carol Middleton, of Port Orchard; sons Thomas (and wife Carol) Middleton Jr., of Seattle, Michael (and wife Billie) Middleton of Port Orchard, an Patrick Middleton, of Bainbridge Island; daughter Mary (and husband Tom) Berger; brother Harry E. Middleton, of Gig Harbor; and 10 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
A funeral mass will be held at St. Gabriel’s Catholic Church in Port Orchard at 10 a.m., Oct. 16, with burial to follow at Sunset Lane cemetery.
Memorial donations can be made to the Society of St. Vincent DePaul, 1137 Callow Ave. N., Bremerton, WA 98312; or the Children’s Hospital Foundation, PO Box C-5371, Seattle, WA 98105.
Elliott, Billy Monday, 11 Oct 2004
Billy D. Elliott, of Port Orchard, died on Oct. 11, 2004, at Navy Hospital Bremerton.
He was 62.
He was born on June 14, 1942, in Weiner, Ark., to Norman Gentry and Nora (Bennett) Elliott.
He married
Erasma Quinamague in Nov. 25, 1995, in Seattle.
He graduated from Weiner (Ark.) High School and later received his associate’s degree while serving in the U.S. Navy from 1964 to 1992. He achieved the rank of senior chief an worked as an air traffic controller.
After leaving the military, he worked as a bus driver at the Veteran’s Home at Retsil.
He enjoyed camping, riding his motor scooter and doing home improvements.
He was a member of St. Gabriel’s Catholic Church in Port Orchard.
He is survived by his wife, Erasma Ellioot, of Port Orchard; step-daughter Jacqueline Cash of Port Orchard; sister-in-law Marie Elliott, of Arkansas; and nieces Nora Medrono and Sylvia Elliott, of Arkansas.
He was preceded in death by a brother, Norman Elliott.
Funeral services were held on Oct. 15 at St. Gabriel’s Catholic Church in Port Orchard, followed by inurnment at Sunset Lane cemetery.
Memorial donations can be made to the American Cancer Society, 1551 Broadway, Suite 200, Tacoma, WA 98402.
