Obituaries

James "Jim" Wallis Button, 85, of Cle Elum, WA, passed away peacefully on July 3, 2025. Born April 23, 1940, in Durand, MI, Jim grew up in Traverse City and graduated from Central High School before earning his degree from Michigan State University.

Jim married Martha Winston in 1967, and together they raised two...

The extraordinary Elinor Smith of Bellevue, WA, passed away peacefully in her sleep on June 1, 2025, after a lifetime spent tirelessly nurturing her four beloved children and cultivating a remarkable career in real estate.
She is survived by her sisters Rita and Alice, her brother Tony, her children Lynne, Lauren,...

Paul B. Larsen passed away at his home on Bainbridge Island, Washington on May 26, 2025 at age 94. Born in Osted, Denmark on January 7, 1931, he grew up under the German Occupation during WWII. Determined to escape the hardscrabble farming life, he pursued education- first at Latin School in Roskilde, then at...

Erma Dee Lyall Fahlstrom

Erma was born in Grandview, WA to Frank and Lavina Lyall. She grew up on the banks of the Yakima River which flowed by the family farm. She was the second oldest of four children. Erma was a Rainbow Girl and participated in 4H in junior high. One of her chores in the Spring was picking...

Barbara Ellis Engram passed away peacefully on Friday, May 16, 2025, in Seattle, Washington. She was born in Portsmouth, Virginia, on September 8, 1937, the daughter of Augustus Cebron Engram and Helen Nelson (Pearson) Engram. She earned a bachelor's degree in education, mathematics and fine arts at The College of...

Barbara Jean "BJ" Smit died on February 3, 2025, in Seattle, Washington, at the age of 78. BJ was born at Holy Rosary Hospital to Dutch immigrants Sam and Nell Smit, and she grew up as the eighth of twelve brothers and sisters on the family farm in Nyssa, Oregon. BJ was an artist. She moved to Seattle and graduated...

It is with great sadness we announce the death of Steve on Friday, June 27th. Steve grew up in Steilacoom, WA with his two brothers, Scott and Doug, and sister Diana. Steve graduated from Bellarmine Prep and started working in the parts department of Porsche. Steve went on to further his education with a degree in...

Denise passed away peacefully on Saturday March 29th. She lived a remarkable 18 years after being struck with a malignant brain tumor in 2007. Denise was strong and courageous. But more importantly she was a truly joyous, loving and positive person who loved to laugh. Those of us who were fortunate enough to know...

Gary Eliasen, born February 27, 1939, spent his childhood farming outside of American Falls, Idaho. He was loved by his mother, Ida Eliasen, his father, Lars Eliasen, his brothers Norm, Lyle and John and his sister Laura. In high school, he ran track and played football. He was a successful runner, setting the...

Sylvia Judith Strong (Judith), age 89, passed away peacefully on July 8, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. Judith was born on February 24, 1936 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Samuel and Jeanne Toiv. She lived in Poughkeepsie, New York for many years, raising her two children with her first husband, Harry...

Mary was born to Jay Ira and Eliza Jane Case and raised in Seattle's Fremont district. She graduated from Lincoln High School in 1943 and from University of Washington in 1946 (Phi Beta Kappa). After graduating in economics, she worked for a firm in the Smith Tower. In 1948 she married William H. (Bill) Sandiford....

Barton "Bart" Clennon passed away bravely and peacefully at home with his family by his side on June 25, 2025, at the end of a courageous battle with dementia and pancreatic cancer. On the light side, many noted over the past few years that even with dementia, Bart was still smarter than most!

Born in Sturgis,...