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David Rains
LACEY — Former Hoquiam resident David Rains of Lacey, died Monday, April 27, 2015, at Roo Lan Heath Care Center in Lacey. He was 62.
Arrangements are by Funeral Alternatives of Tumwater.
Dennis K. McFadden
OLYMPIA — Dennis Kelly McFadden, a longtime resident of Hoquiam, died Wednesday, April 29, 2015, at Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia. He was 63.
He worked as a logger and later co-owned and operated the Show Boat Tavern for over 8 years. He later worked for LeMay from 1999 until his retirement in 2013.
A celebration of life gathering is being planned and will be announced later.
The family suggests memorial contributions be made to East County TNR, (Trap, Neuter and Return) P.O Box 1754, El Cajon, CA 92022
Arrangements are by the Coleman Mortuary in Hoquiam.
Kathleen E. Harless
OLYMPIA — Kathleen Elaine Harless, 64, Aberdeen resident and former registered nurse, died Thursday, April 30, 2015 at Evergreen Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Olympia. She was 64.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 9, at Immanuel Baptist Church in Hoquiam.
Cremation arrangements are by Fern Hill Funeral Home in Aberdeen.
Richard “Rick” Bruce Eaton
Wonderful father, brother, husband and grandfather, Richard “Rick” Bruce Eaton, passed away July 13, 2015, at his home in Aberdeen.
He was born to Bob and Deena Eaton and is survived by his wife Marybeth Eaton, sister Susan Johnson, daughter Jeanette Abbott, son Rick Eaton and his grandchildren — Anna, Hazel, Dalton and Kieran.
A celebration will be held at Stewart Park in Aberdeen at noon on Saturday, July 18. Please drive your old cars as there wasn’t a day that Rick wasn’t watching the races or a car show!
Diana A. Balderston
Diana Arlene Balderston, lifetime Aberdeen resident, died Friday, July 10, 2015, at her home. She was 84.
She will be inurned next to her husband and daughter at Fern Hill cemetery in Aberdeen in a private family service.
Cremation arrangements are by Fern Hill Funeral Home in Aberdeen.
Damian G. Bunse
Damian Garry Bunse of Hoquiam died Sunday, July 12, 2015 at Grays Harbor Community Hospital in Aberdeen. He was 68.
Arrangements are pending through Harrison Family Mortuary of Aberdeen.
Gary Leigh Cross
Gary Leigh Cross, 60, died March 7, 2015, at Everett, Wash. He was born May 26, 1954, in Aberdeen, Wash. Gary graduated from Hoquiam High School in 1972. He enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in Gelnhausen, Germany, as a radio operator. Upon his return he attended Seattle Central College studying drafting.
Gary is survived by his mother, Jennie Ramstad, Surprise, Ariz., his sisters, Shari Stewart of Des Moines, Wash., and Susan Holderman of Federal Way, Wash., and brothers Bob Cross of Hoquiam, Mark Ramstad of Olympia and Jeff Ramstad of Vancouver, B.C.
Gary lived several years in California before moving back to the Seattle area.
Gary will be forever loved by those who knew him.
Mary Ann Paterson
Mary Ann Paterson, 86, of Kent, Wash., died peacefully on Friday, July 10.
Born in 1929 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Mary was the wife of late husband Ian Gavin Paterson, who was born in Helston, England. The Paterson family lived in a number of towns stretching from Vancouver Island, British Columbia to Quebec before moving to the United States and settling in Aberdeen, Wash., in 1972. The family moved to Kent, Wash., in 1983, where Mary lived the remainder of her lifetime.
While Mary enjoyed travel, gardening, and bird watching, her priority was being a loving wife, mother and grandmother. She is survived by her son Gordon Paterson, wife Katherine and grandchildren Bobby and Grace of El Dorado Hills, Calif. and daughter Helvi Winter, husband Mark and grandchildren Ian and Eric of Kent, Wash.
At Mary’s request, a private family memorial will be held. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made in Mary’s name to the American Heart Association at https://donatenow.heart.org/
(Margaret) Jeanne Murphy
1926 - 2015
Jeanne Murphy passed away on June 3, 2015, at Willamette Valley Medical Center in McMinnville, Ore., after a brief illness. She was 88 years old.
Jeanne was born Aug. 5, 1926, in Aberdeen, Wash., to Michael and Victoria (Sutor) Zembal, the youngest of 11 children. Named Margaret by her siblings, she always hated that name and was known by family and friends as Jeanne, or to co-workers as “Murphy.” She was raised and attended school in Aberdeen before moving off the family farm to attend nurses’ training at Providence Hospital School of Nursing in Seattle in 1944. Simultaneously, she joined the United States Cadet Nurse Corps, hoping to join five of her siblings serving in the Army in World War II, after graduating. Although the war ended before her Senior Cadet period started, she worked as a Registered Nurse in Washington, Maryland, Illinois, Kentucky and finally, California where she retired from San Antonio Community Hospital, Upland in 1991.
In 1952, she married
James “Jim” Murphy of Montesano, Wash. It was after they divorced in 1970 that she moved to California, where she lived until 2003, across the street from her sister, Tillie. At that point she and Tillie moved to McMinnville, Ore., to be closer to family.
After retiring as an RN, she volunteered at a program for women who had survived domestic violence. Having taught herself to use a computer on an Apple IIc in the 1980s, she taught the clients word processing and computer skills. She also volunteered for several years at SOVA Food Pantry in Ontario, Calif. After moving to McMinnville in 2003, she began volunteering at St. Vincent de Paul’s Food Pantry in McMinnville. In 2007, she was diagnosed with macular degeneration, but even as her vision deteriorated and she could no longer help food pantry customers shop, she was grateful that staff found tasks she could accomplish. She took several months off in early 2014 after she broke her neck, but then resumed volunteering there until shortly before her death. In her words, if she gave up volunteering, there would be nothing left for her to do and life would have no purpose.
Before her eyesight deteriorated, she spent her free time baking cookies, cakes and pies from scratch for family and friends— always sampling a piece first to make sure it met her standards for quality.
Continuing in her resolve to help others, she had long ago signed up as an organ donor. The Oregon eye bank, administered by Lions Vision Gift of Portland, gratefully accepted her eyes to advance research on blinding diseases.
She is survived by her daughters, Erin Murphy of Woodland, Calif., Denise Murphy of McMinnville, Ore., sister Polly Lehmann of Walla Walla, Wash. and brother, Ed Zembal of New Mexico as well as numerous nieces and nephews in Oregon and Washington.
Services will be held at 100 a.m., Saturday, July 25, at St. James Catholic Church, followed by a reception at Hillside Retirement Community, where she lived since 2011. In recognition of her 50 years of dog ownership, memorial donations may be made to Homeward Bound Pets of McMinnville, Ore.
Delilah Estella Slawson June 16, 1936 - June 24, 2015
Born Delilah Smith in Hoquiam, Wash., to Jack Smith and Delilah Williver Smith, Dee Slawson passed away quietly on June 24, in Molalla, Ore. Dee didn’t live quietly though. She loved to sing, to act, to argue or even fight, to laugh, to dance and to party.
Dee was always ready for a fight, whether it was fighting for civil rights, against wars or injustice, or a fist fight in her kitchen, she’d be in the middle of it. She stood up for the downtrodden, because she loved everyone, and never judged. We’re very proud that she started a homeless shelter, Bologna Joe’s, and a shelter for battered women, The West Women’s Shelter, in Portland. Both of those shelters still function under different names.
Despite an accident, which left her paralyzed in 1982, Dee never felt helpless. She not only took care of herself and remained independent, but would always find a way to help others in need. Her final message to everyone, found after her death, is, “Life was good.”
preceded in death by her son, Del Slawson, Dee, or Babe as her early family knew her, leaves behind her other three children, Lee Ann and Gary Slawson, and Cassandra Portner, and all their families. Many of her Smith family still live in Western Washington.
Dee loved a good party, so put on your party hat, your dancing shoes, and bring your instruments and some tasty treats and drinks to the Artic Community Hall, just off Hwy 101 in Artic, Wash. on Sunday, Aug. 9, at 1 p.m. Help us celebrate the life of this fine, fine lady.
“The world is so full of a number of things,
I’m sure we should all be as happy as kings.”
R.L. Stevenson
“There’s a whole world out there.”
Delilah Slawson (Mom)
Anthony Verne “Tony” Lund
On Monday, July 6, in the comfort of his home and surrounded by his family, our loving husband, dad, grandpa, son and brother, Tony Lund, passed away. Pancreatic cancer destroyed his body but not his spirit. He’s gone fishing until we meet again. Anthony Verne (Tony) Lund was born June 6, 1940, in Minot, N.D., to Verne and Dorothy (Stenson) Lund. His greatest loves were his family, friends and fishing.
Tony attended Franklin and Highline high schools in Seattle and graduated in 1958. In March 1959, while working for Boeing, he welcomed the arrival of his “beautiful daughter” Tami Garrow Mertz. In November 1960, his beloved son Tom was born. In 1964, he left a good job in the city (at Paccar) to work for Lamb Grays Harbor as a production illustrator so he could be closer to the rivers. He fished every weekend, weekends turned into leaves of absence, until he was fishing more than working, so he quit. He and friend Joe Sudman bought the boat Karen Sue and commercial fished in Washington and Alaska.
In 1972 the family moved from Chenois Gardens to Axford Prairie and bought the Red Rooster. The business grew to include a tavern, grocery store and the best burgers on the Peninsula. Tony was known to give credit to anyone who asked for it. In spite of this, the business was a success. In 1978 the family sold the Rooster and moved to Ocean Shores where Tony built houses and fished some more. He went back to Alaska, and then to work at Oval Strapping in 1981. He retired in 2000.
In 1986, he met the love of his life, Bunni (Bernice) Babcock. They were married
in Hoquiam and lived there until 2004 when they moved to Central Park across the street from brother and sister-in-law Dan and Carol West, whose love, company and support were and are priceless. Tony and Bunni spent most of the 1990s building their troller, The Swan. When she was finished, the couple sailed The Swan to Alaska with a fleet of fishing buddies.
They had a full, happy life together traveling, fishing, hunting, clam digging and playing with grandkids. They spent many vacations at daughter Jackie’s ranch in Houston, Texas, where Tony complained about the heat, but he loved the place. His kids and grandkids adored him, and he was so proud of them.
After the tragedy of 9/11, Tony volunteered as a driver for the VA, shuttling disabled veterans from all over the Harbor to their medical appointments. He managed to squeeze in a few rounds of golf while hanging around American Lake, and lived long enough to watch the U.S. Open, proudly sporting his Chambers Bay swag.
Tony loved floating the rivers, catching (and later, releasing) a fine fish, whiskey on his front porch, women of all ages, and his family more than anything. “Family is forever” was his mantra, his promise and his legacy.
He is survived by his loving wife Bunni; children Tami Garrow Mertz (John), Tom Lund, Jimmy Babcock (Mary Jo), and Jackie Babcock Hieber (Jeff); grandchildren Willie Garrow (Chelsea), Katie Garrow, Angie Cornett, Nikki Cornett, Colton Hieber, Dakota Hieber, Matt Babcock, Brandon Babcock, Ronald Anderson and Robin Anderson; great-grandchildren Theo Garrow and Alexis Babcock; brother Mike Lund (Tammy); sister Debbie Sandoval; mother Dorothy Lund, mother-in-law Betty Moore, and many other close friends and relatives. He was preceded in death by his father Verne and brother Gary Lund.
A celebration of Tony’s life is set for Tuesday, July 28, from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Rotary Log Pavilion in Aberdeen.
Please visit www.facebook.com/TonyLundMemorial to share a picture, a song or a memory.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Tony’s memory may be made to the VFW, 105 E. Heron St. Aberdeen, WA 98520; the Union Gospel Mission P.O. Box 859, Aberdeen; or your favorite ACS Relay for Life team (or ACS P.O. Box 22718, Oklahoma City, OK 73123). His ashes will be scattered in Yellowstone National Park, his favorite place on earth other than home, and on a float trip down the Hump. The family is deeply grateful to Harbors Home Health & Hospice, Dr. Henry Li of the Polyclinic, daughter-in-law Mary Jo Babcock, and all who wrote, called and visited. Fish on, Tony. We love you.
Thomas B. Brennan (Dec. 6, 1929 - July 4, 2015)
Thomas Benoit Brennan — lifelong resident and champion of the Harbor, beloved husband, father, brother and employer — died July 4. He passed comfortably surrounded by his wife Gretchen and close family. He was 85.
Tom was the oldest son of Thomas “Pop” Brennan, an Irish immigrant who came to the Harbor in 1924 to found Brennan’s Cash Bazaar. He expanded the business in 1941, building a general merchandise store – Brennan’s – at 112 E. Wishkah. Tom and his brother James Patrick “J.P.” Brennan joined their father running Brennan’s, which the brothers operated until 1999, retiring on the store’s 75th anniversary.
Tom was a proud graduate of St. Mary’s Parochial School, Weatherwax High School and the University of Notre Dame, where he graduated with honors in 1951. He made many trips to his alma mater for intellectual, spiritual and athletic endeavors and events, including a renewal of marriage vows on their 55th anniversary. A highlight of a final campus visit was a long conversation with former university president Fr. Theodore Hesburgh, in his residence atop the Notre Dame Library. He was among Tom’s many friends in the family of Notre Dame alums.
Upon graduation from Notre Dame, Tom immediately joined the U.S. Air Force during the Korean conflict, first serving as an airborne weatherman on a Boeing B-29 in the Pacific. He then was commissioned as an air force intelligence officer, retiring from the reserve as a Captain. Immediately following his service to his country, Tom traveled extensively in Europe for a year, often with an Irish cousin who also accompanied him on a weeks-long tour of their family’s ancestral land. His father had emigrated from County Monaghan, and all his life Tom nurtured close ties with his surviving relatives in the Republic of Ireland. The reach of those ties became evident in 2013, when more than 90 family members hosted a family reunion honoring Tom, and welcoming his five sons to the town where their grandfather was born.
Additionally, Tom felt a compelling spiritual connection to the village of Assisi in Italy, the home of St. Francis. He made several pilgrimages to Assisi including a trip with his wife recognizing their 50th wedding anniversary.
Following university and his military service, Tom returned to Aberdeen to join his father at Brennan’s. For 45 years he made lasting friendships, many of them among the scores of employees who counted Tom and J.P. among the best of bosses. He also was a lifetime parishioner of St. Mary’s Church, serving on the parish council and several church and school committees. Among other community activities, Tom was a founding member of the Grays Harbor Community Foundation and a two-term board member at the Aberdeen Timberland Public Library. He was also a lifetime member of several organizations including the Notre Dame Alumni Association, the Aberdeen Elks and the Washington Athletic Club.
In 1960, Tom married
Gretchen Lawwill of Aberdeen. She survives in their long-time Aberdeen home where they raised five surviving sons: Michael and his wife Natalee, Seattle; Sean and his wife Gretchen, Seattle; Stephen and his wife Bonnie, Portland; Tim, New York City; and Tom and his wife Carolyn, Edmonds. Tom is also survived by nine grandchildren: Sean’s sons Conor and James; Stephen’s son Jesse and daughters Loni, Shannon and Erin; and Tom’s daughter Darcy and his sons Ciaran and Tommy. Tom is also survived by his brother James Patrick Brennan, Seattle; his nieces, Brigid Brennan of Seattle and Leonilla Ayers, Aleica Milchen and Antoinette Bair of San Diego; and his nephews Patrick Brennan, Seattle, and Peter Brennan, Boise.
Tom was preceded in death by his parents, Tom and Leonilla, his sisters, Helen Marie Ayers and Alice Jane Bair, and his nephew James Thomas Ayers.
Funeral Mass celebrating Tom’s life will be at St. Mary Church Monday, July 13, at 11:30 a.m., followed by a reception at the adjacent parish hall. A vigil service with rosary will be held at 7 p.m. Sunday at St. Mary.
In lieu of flowers, the Brennan family requests that gifts contributed in Tom’s memory be sent to the St. Mary “Feed the Hungry” program or to St. Mary School.
John Gray Easter
John Gray Easter, 56, passed away July 7, 2015 at home in McCleary, Wash. He was born April 10, 1959 to Jesse Edward and Rosa May (Gray) Easter in Englewood, Colo. He married
Laurie Hays on Jan. 19, 1980. A roofing contractor, he founded Easter Roofing Inc. with his wife and sons who will continue with the business.
John is survived by his wife, Laurie; sons, John Roch Easter of McCleary, Stephen Kaleb Easter of Creswell, Ore., William Cameron Easter of McCleary, and Dallas Dae Easter of McCleary; daughters, Skylene Marie Beeson of Hot Springs Village, Ark., and Ashley Cheri Keenan of Grand Junction, Colo.; along with their spouses; and his 15 grandchildren.
There will be a viewing on Friday, July 10, 2015, 5:00 - 7:00 p.m., at South Sound Manor, 455 North St. SE, Tumwater, WA 98501. A graveside service will be held Saturday, July 11, 2015, 2:30 p.m., at Forest Memorial Gardens, 2501 Pacific Ave. SE, Olympia, WA 98501. Flowers may be sent to South Sound Manor.
Deacon Dean Octave Maher, 76, Aberdeen resident and former Washington State Correctional Chaplain, died Monday, July 6, 2015, at Westhaven Villa in Aberdeen, Wash.
Dean was born in Walla Walla, Wash., on April 24, 1939, and was adopted by his parents Joseph Eldridge and Dorothy Elizabeth (Leger) Maher. He grew up in Oak Harbor, Wash., and graduated from Oak Harbor High School in 1957. He received a bachelor’s in business administration from Seattle University in 1963 and he went to work for Pacific National Bank in Seattle, where he worked his way up to assistant vice president of personnel. In 1974 Dean moved to Stanwood, Wash., with his family.
Dean had a gift for serving others and ministering to them. He became an ordained deacon at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Marysville, Wash., in 1982. He served as a Correctional Chaplain for Indian Ridge Corrections Center in Arlington, Wash., and Snohomish & King county jails. In 1992, he moved back to Walla Walla, Wash., and went to work at Walla Walla State Penitentiary as the Catholic Chaplain. He transferred to Coyote Ridge Corrections Center in Connell, Wash. in 1998, where he worked until his retirement in 2004. Dean was an avid reader, history buff and meticulous gardener. He loved anything in neon colors. Dean was fun, lovable, irreverent and full of life.
Dean is survived by a son Richard Dean Maher of Nampa, Idaho; two daughters: Emily Jo (Gregory Scott) Hinrichs of Marysville, Wash. and Catherine Therese (Darren Anthony) Trusty of Oakville, Wash.; three grandchildren: Colby Ann and Dallas Joe Trusty and Alexander Scott Hinrichs.
A funeral Mass will be held at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Walla Walla, Wash. on July 27 at 10:30 a.m., followed by a committal service at Mountain View cemetery, Walla Walla, Wash. A Reception at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church Hall immediately following the graveside.
Memorial contributions can be made to St. Vincent de Paul at https://new.svdpusa.org/Donate.
Arrangements are entrusted to Twibell’s Fern Hill Funeral Home in Aberdeen, Wash.
Charles (Chuck) Lamoreaux Jr.
Charles passed away peacefully on June 15, 2015. He was born in Hoquiam to Charles and Grace Lamoreaux on Sept. 5, 1927. He married
Ruby Werts in April 1948; they later divorced.
He served in the Merchant Marines from 1945 to 1947, then in 1951 he joined the Navy until 1954.
He lived in Hoquiam until 1979, then moved to “Country Estates” in Montesano, where he enjoyed yard work and making raisin bread for his neighbors.
Charles is survived by his sister Blanche Knepper of Tacoma, brother William (Ruth) Lamoreaux of Lacey and cousin Gloria Short of Montesano, many nieces, nephews and extended family at Country Estates. He was preceded in death by his parents, sister Florence Rehwinkle Pride and brothers Kenneth and Donald Lamoreaux.
Placement will be at Sunset Memorial Park on Saturday, July 11 at 1:00 p.m.
