January 21, 2009

Obituaries

Mildred R. Johnston
A graveside service for Sequim resident Mildred R. Johnston will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday Jan. 22, at Sequim View Cemetery, 1305 Sequim-Dungeness Way. Mrs. Johnston died Jan. 15, 2009, at the age of 91. She was born Feb. 6, 1917, in Sedalia, Mo.
A full obituary will appear in a later edition.
Sequim Valley Funeral Chapel was in charge of arrangements.


Matthew David Pierce
A committal service with full military honors for Port Angeles resident Matthew David Pierce will be held at 1 p.m. today, Jan. 21, at Tahoma National Cemetery, 18600 SE 240th St., Kent.
Mr. Pierce died Jan. 14, 2009, at the age of 23.
He was born Aug. 7, 1985, in Anchorage, Alaska, to Rand Lane Pierce and Diane Lynn Kemp.
He was an Iraq war veteran who served in the United States Army.
A full obituary will appear in a later edition.
Drennan & Ford Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.


Wade Alexander Chaney Jr.
A funeral for Port Angeles resident Wade Alexander Chaney Jr. will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Jan. 23, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 591 Monroe Road, Port Angeles. Visitation at the church is from 9:30-11 a.m. Burial at Crescent Beach Cemetery in Joyce follows the service.
Mr. Chaney died Jan. 18, 2009, at the age of 21.
He was born June 4, 1987, in Port Angeles to Donna Marie Renfroe and Wade Alexander Chaney Sr.
A complete obituary will appear in a later edition.
Drennan & Ford Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.


Marion Lois Lay
A memorial service for Seiku resident Marion Lois Lay will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 24, at Independent Bible Church, 116 E. Ahlvers Road, Port Angeles.
Mrs. Lay died Jan. 13, 2009, at the age of 101. A reception follows the service at the church.
She was born June 9, 1907, in Hudson, Wis., to itinerant Methodist minister Guy Campbell and Abbie Toal Campbell.
She attended two years of college at Madison, Wis., from 1925-26. She married Lawrence J. Lay on June 5, 1934, in Tacoma. He preceded her in death in 1967 at the age of 58. Mrs. Lay lived on the Lay Peninsula of Gig Harbor before moving to Seiku in the 1980s.
An intelligent and capable woman who loved the outdoors, she was an avid supporter of churches and of the communities of Seiku and Clallam Bay.
She shared her father's love of Christian education and became a generous supporter and friend of Olympic Christian School in Port Angeles. 
She is survived by her nephew Lawrence Campbell of Kirkland; nieces Anne Nicksic of Fortuna, Calif.; Kathy Hicken of Linden, Utah; Sandi Ronde of Fullerton, Calif.; and Susan Miles of Rowland Heights, Calif.
Memorial contributions may be sent to Olympic Christian School, 43 O'Brien Road, Port Angeles, WA 98362.
Drennan & Ford Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.


Carol Ann Caughran
A celebration of life for Sequim resident Carol Ann Caughran will be held in the spring in Gold Beach, Ore. Mrs. Caughran died Jan. 5, 2009, after a nine-month battle with pancreatic cancer.
She was born Jan. 25, 1935, in Sioux City, Iowa, to Lawrence and Dorthy Johnson. She was raised in Astoria/Warrenton, Ore., by her stepfather Charles Messenger and graduated from Queen Anne High School in Seattle.
She met and married Arthur Reina in Whittier, Alaska. They had five children.
Following the 1964 earthquake in Anchorage, Alaska, she moved to Gold Beach, Ore., and married William Caughran, M.D., who brought two children into the marriage.
They lived in Ophir, Ore., while raising their children and they operated several businesses, including a family medical practice, Flowers by Carol and New 2 You Children's Clothing while in Gold Beach. She had a rosy outlook on life and enjoyed an active role in her children's school activities and sports.
Mrs. Caughran's great passion for travel resulted in obtaining her twin engine pilot license and logging 4,200 hours flying the Yellow Bird twin engine Apache she and Dr. Caughran used extensively. After her husband retired, they enjoyed RV living and later purchased and operated the Rainbows End RV Park in Sequim.
She is survived by Arthur Reina, longtime friend and father of her children; sons Daniel Reina, Michael Reina, Thomas Reina and Mark Caughran; daughter Debbie Knight; 16 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband William Caughran and sons Michael Caughran and David Reina.


Dr. Thomas C. Van Flandern
A service was held for Sequim resident Dr. Thomas C. Van Flandern, who died Jan. 9, 2009, at the age of 68 of colon cancer.
He was born June 26, 1940, in Cleveland, Ohio, to Robert and Anna Mary Healy Van Flandern.
He married Barbara Ann Weber on July 6, 1963, in Fort Thomas, Ky. He graduated from Xavier University in 1962 in mathematics with a minor in physics; and Yale University in 1969 with a Ph.D. in celestial mechanics, a field of astronomy.
A respected astronomer and celestial mechanic, he joined the Smithsonian Institute's Moonwatch program at 18 to track satellites and set records. He worked for the United States Naval Observatory for 21 years. He was founder and president of META research, which explored a topic in his book, "Dark Matter, Missing Planets and New Comets." He also did consulting research work on Global Positioning System, GPS, for the Army Research Laboratory.
He was a member of Sigma Xi and often was an invited guest lecturer at local amateur astronomy meetings.
Dr. Van Flandern is survived by his wife, Barbara Ann Van Flandern; sons and daughters-in-law Michael and Melissa of Seattle; Brian and Debra of New York; and Kevin and Jennifer of Seattle; daughter and son-in-law Constance and Philip of Eugene, Ore.; brother William Van Flandern; and four grandchildren.
Linde Family Funeral Service was in charge of arrangements.


Oliver 'Chris' Christensen
No service was reported for Sequim/Port Angeles resident Oliver "Chris" Christensen, who died Jan. 9, 2009, at the age of 82.
He was born Aug. 12, 1926, in Spokane to Neils and Anna Schmidt Christensen. He married Beverly Lithgow on Dec. 3, 1956, in Bothell.
He served in the United States Navy from 1943-1947. After he was honorably discharged, he moved to Renton. In 1949, he bought his first boat to start commercial fishing out of La Push to as far as Alaska and Mexico. He and his wife moved to Port Angeles in 1958. During the winters he learned the alignment business.
In 1966, he built Chris' Auto Rebuild. He was owner/operator until he retired in 1994. He also owned three towing companies, a wrecking yard and built an office building next to his auto shop.
He was passionate about flying. After retirement, he sold his plane and bought a motor home. They traveled for 10 years, visited 49 states and Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. In 2005, they resettled in Sequim.
Mr. Christensen was a member of Veterans of Foreign Wars, Washington Autobody Craftsman Association, Washington Pilots Association and Olympic Peninsula Pilots Association and a lifetime member of Elks.
He is survived by his wife, Beverly Christensen of Sequim; sons and daughter-in-law Dennis and Mitzi Christensen of Auburn and Kenneth Christensen of Sequim; daughter Kelly Christensen and Chris McElroy; brother Wesley Christensen; eight grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his sister Ruth Christensen and sister and brother-in-law Myrtle and Don Wood.
Memorial contributions may be sent to Volunteer Hospice of Clallam County.
Drennan & Ford Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.


Irene Carl
A service was held for Sequim resident Irene Carl, who died Jan. 12, 2009, at the age of 87.
She was born March 21, 1921, in Olympia, to James H. and Irene Gladys Guyer.
She married Chuck Carl on Nov. 17, 1978, in Ellensburg. Mrs. Carl was a bookkeeper and restaurant owner in Sumner. They moved to Sequim in 1991.
She is survived by her husband, Chuck Carl of
Sequim; sons and daughters-in-law Rusty and Donna McEachern of Lake Tapps and Richard and Margot McEachern of San Diego, Calif.; daughter and son-in-law Peggy and Tom Powers of Sumner; sister Maxine McKillup; nine grandchildren; and 18 great-grandchildren.
Bonney Watson Funeral Home of Federal Way was in charge of arrangements.


James J. Sollitt
No service was held at the request of Sequim resident James J. Sollitt, who died Jan. 4, 2009, at the age of 99.
He was born Oct. 25, 1909, in Madison, S.D., to Clive and Hettie Armstrong Sollitt.
He graduated from high school in Anoka, Minn., and moved to Seattle from Minneapolis in 1937. He married Doris Russell on July 3, 1941, in Seattle.
He served in the Navy during World War II. Following his discharge, he attended the University of Washington.
In 1974, Mr. Sollitt retired from Prudential Insurance Co. and moved to the North Olympic Peninsula. He was a charter member of Sequim Elks Lodge 2642.
He enjoyed hiking, camping and square dancing.
He is survived by his wife, Doris; son and daughter-in-law Douglas and Virginia Padden Sollitt of Kirkland; daughter and son-in-law Nancy and Bob Schmall of Surprise, Ariz.; two grandsons; and two great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his brother and sister-in-law Charles and Wilma Sollitt and sister and brother-in-law Mary and Ted Perrin.
Memorial contributions may be sent to Washington Elks Therapy Program, P.O. Box 110760, Tacoma, WA 98411 or a charity of choice.
Olympic Cremation Association in Port Angeles was in charge of arrangements.


Marie T. Frumkin
A private family gathering will be held in the spring for Sequim resident Marie T. Frumkin, who died Jan. 8, 2009, at the age of 82 of anemia.
She was born Nov. 17, 1926, in Chicago, Ill., to Rose Marie Larone. She was raised in San Francisco, Calif.
She married Milton Frumkin on June 18, 1944. He preceded her in death on Jan. 15, 2000.
A high school graduate, she ran a recreation business in Carmel Valley, Calif.
Mrs. Frumkin made jewelry and enjoyed people, children and animals.
She is survived by her sons Milo Frumkin and Vincent Frumkin of Carmel Valley; daughter Theresa "Terri" Tighe" of Sequim; a granddaughter and a great-grandson.
Linde Family Funeral Services was in charge of arrangements.


Sharon Helen Liebsch
A service was held for Sequim resident Sharon Helen Liebsch, who died Jan. 15, 2009 at the age of 61 of cancer.
She was born March 5, 1947, in St. Louis, Mo., to John Clyde and Mary Christine Speckhauls Bushan.
She married Bruce Alvin Liebsch on Nov. 12, 1965, in St. Louis.
She worked as a JC Penney drapery specialist and at the Federal Record Center in St. Louis.
Mrs. Liebsch loved her home and family and was very active in church.
She also enjoyed home decorating, gardening, sewing and needlework.
She was a member of Sequim Community Church.
She is survived by her husband, Bruce Alvin Liebsch of Sequim; son and daughter-in-law Christopher and Claudia Liebsch of Redmond; daughter and son-in-law Teresa and John Crane of Alton, Ill., daughter Beth Liebsch of San Diego, Calif.; brothers and sisters-in-law John and Charlotte Bushan and Larry and Renee Bushan; sisters and brothers-in-law Carol and Bill Richardson and Kathleen and Frank Hummel; and one grandchild.
Memorial contributions may be sent to American Cancer Society.
Drennan & Ford Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements. 


Sequim Gazette obituary policy
The Sequim Gazette strives to write obituaries in an informational, personable and sensitive style that is fair to all families and friends of those deceased.
We reserve the right to write obituaries with the high standards of common professional journalism in mind.
We do not run obituary information verbatim that does not follow our standardized format. Those who prefer obituaries written as they like, however, have the option of purchasing a Sequim Gazette  obituary as a retail or classified advertisement.
The Gazette  news staff takes obituaries very seriously and we recognize that obituaries are the final word on a person's life. They should be complete and well-written.
Our questionnaire is basically all the information we need to write a complete obituary. The more complete information you provide, the better the obituary.
However, we must limit the amount and type of information we publish because of space limitations:
• Survivors include spouse, children, parents, siblings, and longtime (co-habitational) partners. Only the number of grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews is acceptable.
• The names of pets are not part of the survivor category. However, the deceased can be described, for example, as "an animal lover," or one who "loved her horse and riding it in the Olympic Mountains," etc.
• We include a person's religious affiliation, church and involvement, but please refrain from subjective remarks about a person's religious beliefs.

If you have any questions, read this week's obituaries to see how we write them. If you have any further questions, contact the editor for assistance at ext. 112.