Janie Phelps-Fairchild
October 1939 – November 2023
Elizabeth Jane Phelps-Fairchild was taken home to be with her Lord in late November 2023. The celebration of her life will be held on Saturday, April 13th, 2024 at the Sequim Community Church Sanctuary at 1:00 PM. The church is located at 900 N. 5th Ave.
Janie’s niece, Jennifer, perfectly expresses all our thoughts and love for Janie. “like a flower, she added beauty to each day you were in her presence. She was one of a kind, a genuine loving woman. I was fortunate to have been able to continue a close relationship with her and even shared her birthday. She taught me to cross-stitch, shared her love for gardening and sewing. She helped me to understand the dynamics of our family and was an example to give me the confidence to be a single parent and pursue my education and career. Her faith was evident in every fiber of her being and she always walked the talk. She truly cared. Our Janie will be in my heart and all our hearts always.”
Janie was born in October 1939. She grew up in eastern Washington with her parents Nellie and Thomas and her three siblings Martha, Randy and David. Janie graduated from High School. She was also a proud alumnus of Washington State University and a member of Delta Gamma Sorority. She graduated with a teaching degree in home economics and spent her early career teaching high school students in Sumner, Washington, Great Falls, Montana and Highline High School in Burien, Washington. Janie married Dwight Phelps in Sumner, Washington. They moved to Kennewick, where they had two sons, Tony and Stephan. The family moved to Montana, and later Janie returned to Washington as a single
parent to teach at Highline High School, where she met and married Frank Parente. They moved to Southern California in 1975, where Janie taught at Quartz Hill High School. They moved back to Kent in1977 and then in 1978, the family moved to Derby, Kansas, where Janie began her second career as a Systems Analyst with Boeing. She thrived in her new role and community. She became involved in church, and local activities, including leading a homemaker’s home group. Single again Janie had an opportunity to take a position in Seattle, Washington with Boeing, and moved to Kent, WA.
In April of 1994, a former co-worker of Janie’s arranged for her to meet Kingsley R Fairchild. They wrote letters to each other, asking and answering questions, getting to know each other in an old-fashioned way. As they recognized shared values and goals, they began to see that God had brought them together, and they were each other’s answer to prayer. Both of their families came together on New Years Eve 1994 for their wedding.
Janie retired from Boeing with the Golden Handshake of 1995. She then worked at World Vision for two years and in 1998 King and Janie moved to Dungeness Meadows in Sequim. In retirement, Janie was able to dedicate more time to quilting and her quilting group where she maintained dear friendships. Both Janie and Kingsley became actively involved in Sequim Community Church, then called Sequim Presbyterian Church. Janie assisted Ruth Guarde and the associate pastor to organize the women’s bible ministry, called Together on Tuesday. Janie became the first leader, brought together a leadership team and the group soon outgrew the Geneva Room and was moved over to the Fellowship Center, where it is still thriving today under the title of Heart to Heart. Janie never relinquished having Jesus first in her heart. The couple relished a 22-year honeymoon.
In 2016 Janie was struck down with Lewy Body Dementia. Kingsley cared for her, but by late 2019, she could no longer recognize family and friends. On February 19th of 2020 she took up residence in Sherwood Assisted Living’s memory care unit. She never lost the caring nature of her character. She helped at mealtime, setting tables and cleaning up with a cheerful heart. In late November 2023, she was found on the floor in her room, with a broken right hip. It was never known if the hip broke and she fell, or she fell and the hip broke. A few days later the LORD took her home, where she is safely held in the loving arms of her Saviour.
She is survived by her brother David, husband Kingsley, sons Tony, Craig (Diana), Steven (Jessica), Kevin (Amy), grandsons Nathanael (Laura), Kaelen, Braedan, granddaughters Megan (William), Hannah (Nick), Merrick, great granddaughters Elli, Emelia, and Lucy. She was preceded in death by her mother and father, her brother Randy, and a son, Stephan.
Julius Phil Schenck
October 19, 1938 – March 26, 2024
Photo courtesy of Phil Schenck family / Phil Schenck
Julius (Phil) Philip Schenck Jr. passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loving family, on March 26, 2024. Phil was born on October 19, 1938, in Farmington, New Mexico, where his father was an apple orchardist at Mile High Ranch. At the age of 5, Phil’s family relocated to Sequim, Washington, where they fostered close bonds with the land and water of the area.
Phil graduated from Sequim High School in 1957 and went on to Central Washington University. He was a member of the ROTC during his time in college and graduated with degrees in Chemistry and Physics. Following his graduation, Phil dedicated six years of service to the Washington National Guard.
During his college years, Phil met Anna McKinley, who would become his beloved wife of 59 years. They married in 1964 and together went back to Sequim, where Phil worked at Pen-Ply in Port Angeles. However, Phil dreamt of becoming an orchardist like his father and the couple moved to Sunnyside, Washington, in 1973, where they established Schenck Variety Orchards.
Phil poured his heart and soul into the orchard, cultivating not only apples and cherries but also a family of 6 children, 13 grandchildren, and 5 great-grandchildren. Phil’s family fondly remembers his years of dedication as a Boy Scout leader, and his ability to fix almost anything. Phil was a quiet man, but he loved to tell stories to people and animals alike. He talked to every animal he met and often had long conversations with them. His current dog, Tinker, will miss him greatly.
After a lifetime of hard work and dedication to his craft, Phil retired in 2014, returning to Sequim with Anna to build their home on family land. Despite retiring, Phil remained active, continuing to care for the land he cherished and spending time with his family. Phil was also a man of faith and was actively involved in the First Church of Christ Scientist in Sunnyside and Sequim. He was known for his kindness, gentleness, and willingness to open his home to anyone in need.
Phil was preceded in death by his parents, Phil and Alberta Schenck; sisters Rena Heintz and Gail Steen; and sons James Schenck (1973) and Rex Schenck (2013). He is survived by his wife Anna; sisters Mary Bland, Betsy Jones, and Patsy Robison; daughter Dessie (Travis) Oxley; sons Phil (Jessica), Ron (Terri), and Joseph (Andrea); grandchildren Cheyen, Jordyn, Victoria, Jace, Alexis, Jessica, Tyler, Natalee, Kyleanna, James, Gabriel, Benjamin, and Emma; great-grandchildren Paxton, Jameson, Summit, Parker, and Emie. Phil is also survived by numerous “adopted” children who loved him dearly.
A celebration of Phil’s life will be planned for later this summer. Details will be posted to his Facebook page. Phil will be remembered as a devoted husband, a loving father, grandfather, and a steward of the land. His kindness, wisdom, and unwavering love will be deeply missed by all who had the privilege of knowing him.
Steven Champion
March 8, 1950 – March 15, 2024
Photo courtesy of Steven Champion family / Steven Champion
Steven Edwin Champion, age 74, passed away peacefully on March 15, 2024 after a year long battle with cancer. He was born in Port Angeles, WA on March 8, 1950, to parents Walter Champion and Evelyn (Kirner) Stringer. He attended grade school in Port Angeles, middle school in Tacoma and graduated from Sequim High School.
He joined the United States Navy in 1970. He was stationed aboard the USS Tripoli that served in Vietnam. After returning home he was married and had his daughter Caroline.
He played the drums in his brothers small band and taught himself to play piano. He was an avid race track fan and motorcyclist. He made many friends at PA Power and Evergreen Collision.
He is survived by his mother Evelyn Stringer of Ferndale, daughter Caroline King and grandson Rowan Kasting of Sacramento, California, sisters Connie (Bob) Porter of Ferndale, Catherine (Lloyd) Miller of Libby, Montana, brothers Harry Ripley and Hugh Champion of Port Angeles, close cousins Millie Harrell, David Dahl, Cathy Dahl-Ybarra, Wayne Dahl and close friend Dan Koester. Also many devoted nieces who cared for and supported him.
There will be a graveside service at Mount Angeles Memorial Park in Port Angeles on April 20, 2024 at 11:00 am followed by a memorial service at 12:30 at Harper-Ridgeview.
Bonnie Jean (Robb) McInnes
December 5, 1931 – April 1, 2024
Photo courtesy of Bonnie Jean (Robb) McInnes family / Bonnie Jean (Robb) McInnes
Bonnie passed away peacefully at home; she was 92 and died of age-related causes.
She was the youngest child of Alfred Whitten Robb, Sr. (1885–1960) and Caroline Aldus Lowry Robb (1889–1980), who came to Sequim in 1909 from County Armagh in Northern Ireland. Bonnie was born in Sequim and was raised on her family’s dairy farm where Walmart now stands. Her siblings were Eunice Cameron (1911–1981), Susan Peck (1913–1944), Joy Konopaski (1915–1991), Alfred “Alfie” Robb (1916–1996), Phyllis McNamara (1918–1999), Geddes Robb (1921–2000) and Ivan Robb (1926–1970).
She graduated from Sequim High School in 1949 and was that year’s Irrigation Festival “May Day” queen. She attended Central Washington College and the University of Washington.
In 1952, Bonnie married Douglas McInnes, son of another Sequim pioneer family that arrived in 1864. They had three children: Steven, Barbara and David.
Bonnie and Doug lived and worked in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 1955 and 1956, then in Seattle from 1957 to 1971. The family moved to Sequim in 1971, and lived at Jamestown Beach on property that was part of the original Rex Erskine McInnes family farm.
Bonnie worked as an agent for Peter Black Real Estate for several years, where her historical knowledge of local properties was valued by all. She proposed the Sequim 2000 affinity credit card issued by Credit Union of the Pacific (now Sound Community Bank), which originally donated 1% of transactions to beautify Sequim.
Her hobbies included genealogy, reading newspapers, watching CSPAN, collecting vintage fountain pens and Irrigation Festival buttons, and visiting with her large extended family. She loved recalling, researching and discussing Sequim history; she and Doug provided source material for Daniel James Brown’s best-selling book, “The Boys in the Boat.” Bonnie was also a green thumb always on the lookout for her next flower or plant. A nature lover, she marveled at seashells, birds and sunrises — and enjoyed seeing the animals grazing in her back fields. She was an attentive listener, a lifelong learner and an exceptionally capable person.
Doug, her husband of 64 years, died in 2016. In addition to her three children and their spouses (Valerie Hedeen McInnes and Jan Edmondson), Bonnie is survived by grandsons Nick and Tom Edmondson, plus dozens of nieces and nephews and their kids and grandkids. She was “Aunt Bonnie” to several generations.
Bonnie’s family thanks everyone at Volunteer Hospice for their extraordinary hands-on help offered with great love, compassion and humor.
At Bonnie’s request, there will be no service; the family requests no flowers. Instead, please consider a donation to Volunteer Hospice of Clallam County, the Sequim Food Bank or Olympic Theatre Arts.
