Known to many for her work at West Seattle High School, Carol Wakefield will be remembered at a memorial service next month. From her family:

Carol Lynn Wakefield 04/03/1948 ~ 11/01/2011

Carol Wakefield went home to be with the Lord on November 1, 2011. Carol touched many lives and will be fondly remembered.

Carol is survived by her son Scott, her sisters and their families: Cheryl, Ken, Russ and Ozzy, Sue, Ken, Heather, Kenny and Janelle.

Memorial services will be held at 2:00 pm on December 3rd, 2011, in the Banquet Room at West Seattle Golf Course, 4470 35th Ave SW.

Per the WSHS website, the school’s main office is accepting donations for flowers and a commemorative tree.

From Prudential Northwest Realty, sent tonight by Barb Joseph:

With great sadness we report the passing of David Dean Smith, a longtime West Seattle and, more recently, Burien Realtor. David died in the early morning hours of November 3, 2011.

David started his real estate career in March 1983 with Ron Turner Realty (later becoming Prudential Benton, then Prudential Northwest Realty Associates) in West Seattle and was still a very active broker with Prudential Northwest at the time of his death. David was known for his generous mentoring of new agents and caring friendship to so many of his fellow real estate associates.

Some of David’s many friends have arranged to get together to remember him Tuesday afternoon (November 15th) at 3 pm at Christos on Alki, 2508 Alki SW. Everyone is welcome.

Services will be held at 11 am on November 19th at Our Lady of Guadalupe School Auditorium in West Seattle at 3401 SW Myrtle.

Mr. Smith was 53 years old, according to his Seattle Times (WSB partner) obituary.

Richard Allen Cunningham‘s family shares this tribute:

Richard was a longtime West Seattle resident who attended West Seattle High School in 1954 to 1956, but graduated from Franklin High School in 1957. He worked for the Seattle School District as a licensed custodian from 1965 to 1989 in various schools throughout the city and at Memorial Stadium. In the mid-‘70s he was one of the adult advisers for the Seattle Police Explorers, of which his son and daughter were a part. Richard retired from the School District with a permanent disability in 1989. After his retirement, he did some traveling with his family.

Richard’s health began to decline in ’99 with congestive heart failure, and then stage III kidney disease in ’02, which turned to terminal stage 4 in ’09. In ’09 he was told he had 6 months, but with care from his family and doctors, he managed two years. In that span he was able to do more traveling with his family, which he enjoyed very much. His last good outing was in September for his wife’s birthday; after that he began to decline rapidly. He went back on in-home hospice care, but the decline was so rapid, he had to be admitted to a nursing facility. Richard succumbed to his two-year fight with kidney disease and passed at the Washington Care Center in Rainier Valley Thursday, October 20, 2011. Richard is survived by: wife of 54 years Gerry, son Frank, daughter Lauri, & two best friends Corky and Bess. No service will be held, at his request.

(WSB publishes obituaries at no charge; send text and photos to editor@westseattleblog.com)

The family of Rachelle A. Schutte, gone at just 57, shares this tribute, and word that her memorial is planned for Friday:

Rachelle took her place in Heaven after suddenly passing away on October 22nd, 2011, in her West Seattle home.

Born on October 3rd, 1954, in Minneapolis Minnesota, Rachelle became a long time West Seattle resident where she lived her life to the fullest. Rachelle was a loving, kind, and caring person who loved her friends and family unconditionally and always put others before herself. When not in the bingo halls, you would most likely find her spending time with her family and enjoying her grandchildren.

Rachelle is survived by her husband Art; sister Marice; brothers Chuck and Steve; children Matt and Jodie and four grandchildren, McKayla, McKenzie, Kaya, and Kaleb, as well as many other family and friends who will miss her dearly.

Services and reception will be held on Friday, October 28th 2011 at Yarington’s Funeral Home, 10708 16th Ave SW, from 2-5 PM.

(WSB publishes obituaries at no charge; send text and photos to editor@westseattleblog.com)

Richard Stannard shares this tribute to his late wife Elaine, who was a trailblazer in so many ways:

Elaine Viola Stannard, who died Sept. 16, 2011, was a graduate of the University of Chicago and the University of Washington, where she got her teaching degree.

She was a Quaker peace worker and civil rights worker in the mid-1940s in the Chicago area, when no one ever heard of such a thing. She was an activist member of CORE (Congress of Racial Equality) and knew many of the people who rose to prominence in the movement in the Sixties. At that time, she was married to a fellow graduate of the University of Chicago, the late Robert Davenport, the father of her daughters. They moved to the Seattle area in 1956.

She is survived by five daughters: Carolyn Benjamin, Elizabeth (Sherry) Davenport-Sanchez; Virginia (Ginger) Van Boven (husband Alan); Susan Moore and Roberta (Birdie) Davenport (husband Steve). Her grandchildren are Eric Benjamin, Thalia Ryer, Leslie Benjamin; Paula Wilson, Amber Kent; Leaf Van Boven, Lana Van Boven Hughes; Drew Moore, Brinn Moore and Rita Moore. Great-grandchildren: Phoenix and Griffin; Elena; Caleb and Anna, Elliot.

For seven years, she taught elementary school in Renton, a job that was plainly her first love. At that time, she was a resident of the pioneering housing cooperative, May Valley Co-op Community, and owned property there for many years after she moved away. She was one of the founding members of a food cooperative there which became Puget Consumers Cooperative (PCC), one of the leading retail food co-ops in the nation.

Read More

A memorial service is planned September 24th for Brian Zombro, whose sister Kara shares this tribute:

Brian Zombro died unexpectedly on September 4, 2011 at the age of 30. Brian was a lifelong West Seattle resident who was a son, brother, and a great friend. He will be missed by many.

Brian was born on June 17, 1981. He attended Schmitz Park Elementary, Madison Middle School, and West Seattle High School. He was also a proud member of Boy Scout Troop 282. He was a skilled carpenter and electrician and a gifted musician and artist.

With his outgoing personality and ability to make everyone around him feel accepted, Brian was well known around West Seattle. Anyone who met him would know his big smile, easy laugh, and willingness to offer a helping hand to anyone in need.

Brian is survived by his mother Janet, father Jim (Nancy), sisters Kara (Louis) Erickson and Leah, maternal grandmother Betty (Andy) Nielson, his cat Blue (arguably his favorite family member) and his best friend and honorary brother Tony Hamilton. He is remembered and loved by numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins and close friends he considered family. He is preceded in death by maternal grandfather Stan Miller and paternal grandparents Ann and Walter Zombro.

Brian will be interred at Forest Lawn Cemetery as his final resting place. The family will be hosting a public memorial on September 24, 2011 at 3pm at The Georgetown Stables at 980 South Nebraska Street. For further information, please contact Kara Erickson at klzombro@yahoo.com.

“They shall not grow old as we who are left to grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn… In our hearts and in our minds, their devotion and acts will always be remembered. To us, they have found immortality.”

A memorial service and reception are planned this Sunday for longtime West Seattleite Debbie Numoto, whose family shared this tribute:

Deborah Dawn Numoto passed peacefully on Saturday, August 13, 2011 from cancer, at the age of 49. She is survived by her husband Phil Numoto, father Harold Willard; mother Janice Mize; children; Jorge Muratalla (Ginny), Tami Oden (Tony), and grandson A.J.; sister Sharon Nark (Joel), nephew Conrad and niece Julia; Uncle Chuck Mize (Kathy) and Aunt Nadine Geister (Don). Jorge Muratalla, James Sansburn and family. She was preceded in death by her grandparents and her good friend Steve. Our family and her friends miss her so much. It is too early for her to join the angels.

Debbie was born in Yakima, WA and was raised in West Seattle. She graduated from West Seattle High School in 1980. She has been a manager/gift buyer at West Seattle’s Northwest Art and Frame for 26 years. Many have stopped there to enjoy special gifts to share with others.

Her passion was creativity and art, and her compositions expressed her love of nature, flowers, the ocean, and her connectedness with special friends; there were many.

Read More

Shared by Karen:

Longtime West Seattle resident David Brachtenbach passed away on August 9th in Federal Heights, Colorado. Those who knew David best will remember him for his kind heart, irreverent sense of humor, creative intellect and love for his dogs. He will be missed by his family and friends and those who saw him on his regular walks around West Seattle. Born in 1962 in Selah, Washington, David lived most of his life in Seattle. He was loved and will be missed. Donations in his name to the Seattle Humane Society are appreciated.

(WSB publishes obituaries at no charge; send text and photos to editor@westseattleblog.com)

A memorial service is planned tomorrow for 86-year-old Chris Holm, one of West Seattle’s real-life “Rosie the Riveters.” (We featured her in Christopher Boffoli‘s report on one of the local “Rosie” gatherings in 2009.) Her family wrote this obituary:

Clarissa Elizabeth Holm (Sherbon)
September 23, 1924 – July 31, 2011

Chris Holm passed away unexpectedly while leading the social-hour discussion at her West Seattle Church on Sunday, July 31, 2011. Chris was a vibrant woman, still living life to its fullest and enjoying her many day-to-day activities with zest and utter enthusiasm. She was a beloved mother, grandmother, great grandmother, wife, sister and friend. Everyone was surprised by her death and feel deeply saddened to lose the cornerstone, centerpiece, rock and foundation for our family and her community of friends.

Chris was born in Sioux Falls, SD, moving immediately to Walnut Grove, MN. She lived the quintessential “Little House on the Prairie” life, growing up in the famous Olsen store, working hard on the farm, and spending any free time playing on the banks of Plum Creek. She moved to Seattle and in her early twenties during WWII and worked hard at Boeing as one of the famous Rosie the Riveters.

Read More

From the family of Joe Butzerin, a longtime West Seattleite known for many endeavors:

A Requiem Mass will be held for Joe Butzerin at Holy Rosary Catholic Church at 10:30 am on Monday, July 11th. Starting Friday, July 8, at noon, Joe will be in repose at the Butzerin home at 4903 SW Hill Street, where visitors will be welcome at any time. A wake will be held on Saturday at 7:00 pm.

Joe passed away peacefully on July 5th at his home, surrounded by family after complications from heart failure. Joe was born July 25, 1931 in Minneapolis, but he had resided in West Seattle since shortly after his marriage to Kathryn Freitas-Fox in 1958. Joe served as a first lieutenant in Korea after ROTC at Gonzaga University. He started his civilian career in Seattle as a math teacher, first on Vashon Island and later at Chief Sealth High School. To help support his growing family, Joe worked summers as a meter reader at Seattle City Light, where he eventually became a full-time lighting consultant. Joe retired from City Light in 1997 after more than 35 years of service.

Joe served as Chairman of the 34th District Democrat Club for two terms. He was an exuberant activist in both local and national political campaigns, serving as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1980 [photo at right]. He greatly enjoyed his service on the King County Fair Board. Joe also served as Chair of the Holy Rosary Conference of the Society of St. Vincent DePaul.

Joe always said he was most proud of being a father to his six children: JoAnne, Teresa, Carla, Peter, Robert, and Mary; and his 14 grandchildren. He was dearly loved and will be sorely missed.

(WSB photo of Jim Ercolini with then-Mayor Greg Nickels at Ercolini Park dedication, 7/12/08)
A Funeral Mass is planned at 11 am Wednesday at Holy Rosary for Jim Ercolini, who died last week at age 76, three years after his family-homestead site west of The Junction became home to Ercolini Park. As shown in our photo above, Mr. Ercolini participated in the park dedication in July 2008. When the Parks Department agreed in late 2007 to the community request to name the park after the Ercolini family, he had said that he was the last descendant with that surname – so the park now carries it on. The city bought the park site with money from the 2000 Pro Parks Levy, and community volunteers took it from there to muster the money, material, and labors to turn it into a park. The full obituary for Mr. Ercolini, a longtime Boeing engineer and native West Seattleite, was published in today’s Seattle Times. (Thanks to Wendy for the tip.)

If you knew “Coach” Brown – you’re invited to his service on Friday. His family shared this tribute:

Grant D. Brown, 68, lifelong resident of West Seattle and tireless volunteer for the youth in our community, passed away June 14, 2011, after a long struggle with cancer.

Grant was the first child of Don and Margaret (Crosby) Brown. He grew up with his siblings Alan and Donna on the hill overlooking Alki, attending Alki Elementary, James Madison Junior High and West Seattle High School, graduating in 1960. He served in the National Guard in the mid-1960s, stationed out of Camp Murray.

It was early in his schooling that he discovered a penchant for technical drawing, which served him well as, at age 18, he went to work for Boeing as a drafter. He worked in commercial, military and aerospace, including the Dash-80, 727 and 737, SST, Minuteman, ALCM, Wind Turbines, B-2 and finally the F-22. He retired from Boeing after 48 years of dedicated service. Boeing was also where he met his wife Cathy, to whom he was married for 40 years.

The most memorable and greatest passion of Grant’s life, however, was his commitment to youth sports, volunteering as a coach, manager and mentor for more than 40 years.

Read More

Katie Parker, gone at just 31, was a longtime West Seattleite, says Matt, who shared her obituary and photo:

Katie Parker, 31, of Arlington, WA, passed away Thursday, June 9, 2011. Katie was born September 22, 1979, the daughter of James and Mary Margaret Parker, in Seattle.

Katie had a warm heart and generous spirit. Katie was an accomplished Irish Step Dancer and won international awards. She loved books, and when not reading, she enjoyed spending time outdoors and visiting with friends and family.

Katie graduated from Our Lady of Guadalupe in West Seattle and went on to graduate from Holy Names Academy in Seattle. She also attended WWU at Bellingham. Katie had an eye for beauty and style, and when she graduated from Gene Juarez Academy, she found her calling.

Katie is preceded in death by her brother Neil Parker, cousin Kevin Monahan, uncles Terry Monahan, John Parker and George Parker, grandparents, George and Victoria Parker, Jack and Veronica Monahan.

Katie is survived by her parents, James and Mary Margaret Parker, her sister Nora Parker and her nephew Riley Parker. Numerous aunts, uncles and cousins survive Katie as well.

Viewing will precede the saying of a Rosary. The Rosary will be on Friday, June 17, 2011, at 10:00 am at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Arlington, WA. A funeral Mass will follow at 10:30 with internment at Eden’s Cemetery on Guemes Island, WA.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to www.nami.org or Catholic Community Services.

(WSB publishes obituaries by request, free of charge. E-mail the text, and a photo if available/desired, to editor@westseattleblog.com)

On the Sustainable West Seattle website, Kate Kaemerle has just published an obituary remembering Dale Roose, a former West Seattleite who died at age 55 in Tucson after a long fight with cancer. Kate’s writeup recalls Mr. Roose’s participation as a West Seattle Tool Library founding member. He and wife Tina Roose also had been WSB participants while living here, and you may also remember them for two West Seattle Crime Watch reports – he was the cancer patient whose car was stolen twice, including this past February, just as he and Tina were about to move. The first time, their story also was picked up by KING 5 TV, and both cases drew community offers of help. According to the obituary on SWS’s site, no funeral is planned, but donations can be made to the American Cancer Society in Mr. Roose’s memory.

(Sorry for the short notice. We only found out about this because WSB’er Diane was at Jefferson Square Safeway late last night and told us about the announcement she saw posted on a wall.)

The funeral Mass is at 3 pm ***today*** at Holy Rosary for Barbara Ann (Barb) Fuda, a longtime Safeway employee who had been looking forward to going back to work in Admiral when the new store opens in two months – but lost her battle with cancer last Saturday. The notice up at Safeway says she worked for the company for almost 41 years, starting at the old Admiral store at age 15. We don’t have an electronic copy of the posted announcement but transcribed this from a photo:

… Barb was one of the most dedicated and loyal Safeway employees to grace the Metro District. Barb and one of her lifelong friends Karen White were the first female courtesy clerks to be hired in the old south district. She always greatly cared for not only the Admiral store, but every employee and customer in it. She went above and beyond the regular work duties in volunteering for things like writing the store newsletter to participating in fundraising efforts. Barb was also a major planner in all the store parties, from celebrations to the many goodbyes that occurred over 40 years … She will be missed by all who worked with her and the thousands of West Seattle customers whose lives she touched with her caring heart and mischievous smile. She managed all this while tirelessly being the ultimate mother and wife.

The closing of (the Admiral store) was an emotional time for her and her loyal customers who waited more for the “return of Barb” than they did for the opening of our new store … Barb’s passing is a great loss to Safeway and the entire West Seattle community.

The screengrab with Ms. Fuda’s photo is from an obituary in the Seattle Times (WSB partner) earlier this week. You can read it here.

A memorial service is planned in West Seattle on June 16th for Donald R. Chesterfield, who died last week just three days shy of his 80th birthday. Here’s the announcement sent to us:

In Memory of Donald R. Chesterfield
June 4, 1931 – June 1, 2011

Donald R. Chesterfield, 79, son of the late Roy M. and (Betty) Elizabeth V. Chesterfield, is survived by brother, John R. and Marcia Chesterfield, his sister, Cheryl A. and Mike Ferguson, and their families. Don is survived by his wife of 58 years, Phyllis J. Chesterfield, and his children, Kris Ohanu & family, Kip Chesterfield & family, Karen Brown & family, Kitty Chesterfield & family, Karli Shanklin & family, and Kilian Chesterfield & family, as well as many beloved grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Don was a 1950 graduate of West Seattle High School. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps, received a Purple Heart for his service during the Korean War, and served 10 years in the U.S. Air Force. He loved his family, fishing, baseball and more. One of his favorite pastimes was playing fast-pitch softball as a pitcher for more than 30 years in Southern California and in the Seattle area as well. Don retired from The Boeing Company.

A Memorial Service will be held in his honor on Thursday, June 16, at 6:00 p.m. at the West Seattle American Legion Hall, 3618 SW Alaska.

(WSB publishes obituaries by request, free of charge. E-mail the text, and a photo if available/desired, to editor@westseattleblog.com)

Longtime West Seattleite June Kloster will be remembered at 1 pm this Saturday at Emmanuel Bible Church (503 North 50th Street), according to her daughter Patricia Kloster, who wanted to share her mom’s photo and obituary here:

June was born March 26, 1927, the youngest of 5 children of Matthew and Bessie Jarboe. She was very proud of being raised in LaConner, especially after it became such a popular destination for the tulip fields. She married Jens Kloster in Seattle in 1948 and in 1952 they moved to West Seattle where Alki became her favorite haunt!

Most of her married life she was a stay at home Mom and then a school secretary at Alki Elementary (after Ron and Patricia moved on to Madison) and Meany Middle School where she retired in 1992. Also, she was a NASCAR official on weekends with dad for many years at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe.

If you knew June, you knew her smile, jokes and amazing cooking/baking.

Read More

Dianne Thorniley wanted to share this tonight:

Laurie E. Paton Williams died peacefully on April 30, 2011. Laurie is survived by her children Stephen Abegglen, Angela Mazloomi, and Mark Abegglen and her four grandchildren. She is also survived by her sisters, Sue Lesmeister, Sally Parsons, and Diane Peel. Laurie graduated from West Seattle High School, class of 1958. Her memorial will be May 9, 2011 (Monday) at 2:00 at Forest Lawn Funeral Home in West Seattle. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Stehekin Heritage Fund.

(WSB publishes obituaries by request, free of charge. E-mail the text, and a photo if available/desired, to editor@westseattleblog.com)

This Saturday afternoon, a memorial service is planned at Hope Lutheran Church for Barbara Steen, who died last week after living in West Seattle for more than half a century. Her family shares her obituary:

Barbara Ann Myers Steen, 82, died April 29, 2011. She was born November 2, 1928, to Max and Katherine Myers at her grandparents’ farm in Leroy, Kansas. The family moved soon after to Shelton Washington where she attended Irene S. Reed High School, where she was known as Bobby Ann. She especially enjoyed being in drama club, and graduated from there in 1946. She was baptized and confirmed at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church, and met Wayne Steen there, when they both taught Sunday School.

After high school, she worked in an office in Olympia, WA until her marriage to Wayne, May 21st, 1948, upon his return from serving in Germany during WWII. They moved to Seattle in 1950 and settled here to raise their growing family.

Read More

One week after news of the death of Chef Joseph (Joey) Brewer, 35-year-old co-owner of The Swinery in West Seattle, memorial plans have been announced, via the business’s Facebook page and in a WSB comment:

Please join us on Monday, April 18th, 2011 at Lincoln Park shelter 3 from 4-7 for the Memorial of Chef Joseph Brewer.

Friends, fans, customers, family and community members are encouraged to come and celebrate the life of this incredible man.

Chefs Chris Merguez (Swinery), Jeremy Homan, Trina Recktenwald-Homan, Anthony Hubbard, and Wi…ll Parr will prepare food.

Lincoln Park • 8011 Fauntleroy Way SW

(2010 WSB photo by Christopher Boffoli) In the WSB comment, there is also an obituary for Mr. Brewer – read it here after the jump:Read More