White Center Now: The blog about White Center

Family and friends want to remind all those who knew and loved Leticia Martinez that the community celebration of her life is tomorrow (Saturday, July 1st) in West Seattle. All are welcome at Alki Masonic Center (4736 40th SW) between 1 pm and 4 pm. Leticia, who was 58 years old, has been gone now for three months. The original announcement of her memorial was in her obituary, published here June 5th. As noted then, crowdfunding via the GoFundMe page “Justice for Leticia“ continues, to help support Leticia’s son, legal costs, and memorial expenses.

Family and friends will gather for a funeral mass this Friday and a celebration of life in March to honor Harold Foster. Here’s the remembrance they’re sharing with his community:

Harold Dale Foster, 96, passed away peacefully at home on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2022, in White Center. He was born on February 26, 1926 in Spearfish, South Dakota to Ralph Bay Foster and Gertrude G. (Willsie) Foster.

Harold was preceded in death by his wife of 66 1/2 years, Lorraine C. (Garceau) Foster, his son Michael Dale Foster, his parents Ralph and Gertrude Foster, and all of his siblings, including his brothers Ray Foster, Everett Foster, and Wesley Foster, and his sisters Fae E. Rainey and Lola Mae Foster, as well as many extended family relatives and very dear friends.

Harold is survived by his son Jeffrey J. Foster and his daughter Sue Foster; his grandchildren Kara (Adam) Peters, Amanda Foster, Matthew Lambertsen, and Mark Lambertsen; great-granddaughter Sloan P. Kilpatrick-Foster and great-grandson Oliver Dale Peters, as well as his nephew Wayne (Kathy) Rainey and Loraine (Rainey) McRae and many special distant relatives and very close friends.

Harold had a nomadic childhood due to poverty since his father Ralph Foster was always looking for work. He told stories of moving many times and having very little to eat while growing up, including working for a neighbor and getting paid with a sack of potatoes to help feed his family when he was a teenager. His Father died in 1942, a few days after having surgery for a ruptured ulcer, when Harold was 16 years old. He moved back to Seattle, where his mother Gertrude Foster was staying with his older sister Fae E. Rainey. Eventually, Harold bought a house with his mother near South Seattle Community College. Gertrude Foster was working as a Nurse, and he started working at the Boeing Company in 1943. He left the Boeing Company briefly to serve his country in the Navy from 1944 – 1946.

In 1948, Harold was back working at the Boeing Company and he met his future wife Lorraine Garceau through her sister Aurora Garceau. Harold and Lorraine had a double wedding with Lorraine’s sister Muriel and Keith (Bud) Pearson on September 15, 1950, at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in West Seattle. They had three children, Michael Dale, Jeffrey John, and Suzette Marie. They purchased their home in 1961 and Harold would go on to live there for 61 years with many family gatherings and Harold’s last birthday open house on February 26th, 2020.

Harold and Lorraine were parishioners at Holy Family Catholic Church for almost 70 years and had their children attend Holy Family school as well as their granddaughter Kara and many other cousins. Harold was also a longtime Aerie member of the White Center Eagles since the 1950s, where Harold and his wife would dance around the supporting pole in the middle of the dance floor at the old Eagles building. In later years, he would go to the new Eagles building to meet his “Cooney” friends (as Lorraine would say) for a drink at 4pm and he enjoyed Sunday morning breakfasts with his Eagle buddies.

Harold and Lorraine went on to purchase camping membership at Lake Trask Timber Trails near Shelton in 1975 with many other Sears and Boeing families. Camping was a great getaway from the city at their summer retreat. They made many friends over the years there who became like extended family and Harold always had a joke or two to share with everyone as well as a helping hand.

And that’s his story and he is sticking to it. Please smile to yourself when you remember him.

His funeral mass will be held on Friday, January 13th, 2023 at Noon at Holy Family Catholic Church in White Center, located at 9622 20th Ave SW. His burial will follow at 2 pm at Greenwood Memorial Cemetery, 350 Monroe Ave NE, Renton. No reception following.

His Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, March 25th, 2023 from 2 pm to 4 pm at the White Center Eagles, 10452 15th Ave SW.
The Foster Family is looking forward to celebrating this wonderful man’s life with everyone.

In lieu of gifts, please donate to Northwest Kidney Centers, PO Box 3035, Seattle, Washington 98114.

(We publish obituaries and memorial announcements by request, free of charge. Please email the text, and a photo if available, to whitecenternow@gmail.com)

Family and friends will gather online Saturday to remember Jonathan M. Hetzel. Here’s the remembrance they’re sharing:

Jonathan Mark Hetzel died peacefully at 8:44 pm on 12/15/2020 at St. Anne Hospital in Burien. He was 35 years old. He was surrounded by family, including his parents who were bedside, and siblings virtually. Jon is survived by many friends and family including: parents Mike and Anna Louise Hetzel; siblings Charlene McRae, Dave Hetzel, Michelle Hetzel, and Steve Hetzel; many cousins, including Stephanie Stone; and five nieces and three nephews.

Jon was a hard and diligent worker. By trade, Jon was a marine pipe fitter with U.A. Local 32 Plumbers and Pipefitters. He worked at Foss Maritime for almost 14 years until mid-2020, when he became too ill to work. He was a valued employee and his colleagues in the shipyard will miss him. Jon specifically enjoyed going out on Puget Sound for test runs after making fixes to tugboats or other marine vessels.

Jon was active in his union and appreciated the support and collective-bargaining strength that came with union membership. Because of his work history and union protections, his health insurance was maintained for months after he wasn’t able to work due to health problems. When he wasn’t able to work, he was concerned his health insurance would run out. We are deeply relieved, and grateful to UA Local 32, that he had continuous health insurance until his death.

Jon was a beautiful combination of extrovert and introvert. He could talk your ear off and very much enjoyed the company of others. He could make friends with almost anyone and specifically enjoyed the company of those who were older than he was. He also enjoyed his own company and often kept to himself. In the last several years, Jon’s health deteriorated and he suffered the loss of several friends who passed away. He felt the loss of his friends deeply. Jon was notoriously private and kept his friends and family separate; only in his passing are we beginning to meet each other.

Jon was an incredibly kind, compassionate, and gentle soul with a variety of interests. Jon was an avid reader and had boxes upon boxes of paperback novels. Jon particularly enjoyed learning about history and regularly watched the History Channel. He was knowledgeable about electronics and had many computers; he had a penchant for disassembling and repairing or upgrading them. Jon had a special relationship with puzzles – he found them particularly cathartic when he was going through treatment for his illness. Jon enjoyed traveling to far-off places. His most notable trips included Europe; Central America; Southeast Asia; and the Mediterranean. He loved learning about other cultures and was an adventurous eater, with a willingness to try local cuisine and apt enthusiasm for spicy foods.

Jon loved to barbecue with friends and was a regular when cookouts were held at Big Al’s Brewery; beer Mondays and BBQ Wednesdays were standing commitments on his calendar. Stubbs barbecue sauce was a mainstay in Jon’s fridge and pantry, along with meats and cheeses; chips and sour cream; fried chicken; gummy bears; and Jolly Ranchers. Jon chose fruit over vegetables and meat over anything else. His only foray into cooking was meat and jalapeño poppers. For dessert, he preferred ice cream or the occasional slice of apple pie.

Jon was active in the local White Center community. He was an enthusiast for small businesses, specifically restaurants including: Full Tilt; Proletariat Pizza; Itto’s Tapas; Young’s; Super Deli Mart; and Beer Star. He enjoyed White Center Art Walks and Jubilee Days. Jon made frequent trips to Lincoln Park, where he’d bring his breakfast and soak up the views.

In the last couple years, Jon became an active member of the White Center Eagles Club. He was there almost daily, socializing with everyone. The club members became like a surrogate family for Jon, making sure he had holiday plans and checking on him when his absence was noted. Since his passing, club members have stepped up to support the family and honor Jon’s memory. He was valued as a kind and caring member of the club.

A Zoom memorial for Jon will be held on Saturday, January 2nd, at 2 pm. A celebration of Jon’s life will be held this summer at Lincoln Park and will include a display of Jon’s favorite sarcastic T-shirts. Friends, coworkers, and others are encouraged to email michellehetzel@hotmail.com to participate in either or both events.

(WCN publishes West Seattle obituaries by request, free of charge. Please email the text, and a photo if available, to whitecenternow@gmail.com)

From the North Highline Fire District:

It is with profound sadness that the Washington State Council of Fire Fighters, Burien Union Fire Fighters Local #1461, and King County Fire District #2 report the death of Captain Eric Boutwell in Walla Walla on Wednesday, September 11, 2019.

Celebration of Life
Saturday, September 21, 2019
11:00 a.m.
River of Life Fellowship
10615 SE 216th Street
Kent, WA 98031

Class A or B uniforms are appropriate. There will be no outside agency apparatus in the procession.

Brother Boutwell was a valued friend and colleague for all of us lucky enough to know and work with him. Eric joined the North Highline Fire District as a volunteer in 1992 and became a career firefighter at Station #18 in 1999 and touched many lives. He faithfully served the North Highline community for 26 years and, through a contractual consolidation in 2019, continued his dedicated service with King County Fire District #2. He is survived by his wife Krista, daughters Haley and Isabella; and many family and friends.

Local 1461 has established a memorial fund through the National Police & Fire Foundation to support Eric’s daughters’ education.

Link to Make Donations: www.HonoringEricBoutwell.com
Text To Give: Text the word “Honor” to 360-207-2170

Local #1461, the King County Fire District #2 Family, and the Washington State Council of Fire Fighters extend our heartfelt sympathies, even as we struggle to understand this tragedy. Please keep his family and loved ones in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.

Contact Shauna Sheppard for more information: 206-209-4129.

Memorial plans are now finalized for Dick Thurnau, the longtime White Center resident and community activist who died earlier this week. His family shares that news and this remembrance:

Dick Thurnau, 89, a strong advocate for the White Center community, passed away peacefully on May 4, 2014.

He was born February 17, 1925 in Pingree Grove, IL, the 6th son of Alice & John Thurnau. He graduated from Edison Technical Institute in Seattle and served in the Army in the South Pacific in WWII from 1943 to the end of the war in 1946. Upon his return home, he married Helen Grisham of Illinois, on April 25, 1946. On their honeymoon they traveled by train to Seattle where they made their home. Dick worked for Mack Trucks starting as a mechanic and working his way up to Manager of Service Engineering for the Mack Western Division in Hayward, California. He retired in 1980 with 30 years of service, moving back to Seattle & the home he bought in 1948. He loved woodworking and made many beautiful things for family and friends. He worked tirelessly for his group called Friends of Hicklin Lake to clean up the lake water and the surrounding park & neighborhoods. He was also an ardent supporter of TAF (Technology Access Foundation, a school which teaches young people about technology), which is now located at the edge of the Lakewood Park Property. He will truly be missed by many.

Dick had four children, Terry Thurnau, deceased (Wendy Schufreider), Kathleen Dombrowski (Joseph), Marvin Thurnau (Sue) & Cheri Buettner (Gordon), 8 grandchildren, Robert, Jennifer, Todd, Jennifer, Cynthia, Mandy, Samuel, Suzanne, 12 great grandchildren Tim, Kevin, Hayden, Jacob, Sawyer, Trevor, Tyler, Meranda, Crystal, MacArthur, Marshall, Lucas, Abigail and 1 great, great grandchild, Adrian.

He is also survived by Marcia Wollam, a significant partner with Dick and who has assisted him with his community efforts, especially with the Floating Islands that are now part of Hicklin Lake.

A memorial service will be held at 2 pm, Friday, May 9th, at the Technology Access Foundation Building, 605 SW 108th, Seattle, WA 98146. To honor Dick and in lieu of flowers, the family asks donations be sent to TAF at the same address.

A memorial and reception are planned in White Center on March 15th for Robert “Bob” McCoy, who died this week at age 81:

Robert “Bob” McCoy passed away March 3, 2014, with his family by his side.

Bob was a resident of West Seattle for 50-plus years. He started his career at Forest Lawn Funeral Home in 1964 and retired in 1998. He was a member of the White Center Eagles.

Bob was born February 2, 1933, in Seattle, to Harold and Jessie McCoy. He was raised in Kent and attended Kent Meridian High School. He is survived by his wife Ilene of 60 years, daughter Debra and her husband Joe Ruskamp, daughter Linda and her husband Michael McGee, daughter Barbara, son John, and daughter Pam and her husband Cary Hood, 10 grandchildren, 7 great-grandchildren, and his brother Jack McCoy of Vancouver, Washington. He was preceded in death by his sister Helen and his brother Phillip.

Memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 15th, 1:00 pm at Yarington’s/White Center Funeral Home, 10708 16th Ave SW. Reception follows, 2:30-4:30 pm at the White Center Eagles, 10452 15th Ave SW.

A funeral Mass is planned at Holy Family this Wednesday morning for 84-year-old Theodore (Ted) John Wiese:

Ted went home to the Lord 9-19-13 at the age of 84. Born in Woodburn, Oregon, in 1929, he married Doris Marie Prinslow on October 2, 1954, after being honorably discharged as a corporal from the Marine Corps and attending OSU. He retired from The Boeing Company after 26 years and was ordained to the Diaconate, serving the Archdiocese of Seattle for the past 24 years at Holy Family Parish in White Center.

He is survived by his wife Doris, sister Jeanette Moore, his children Connie (Richard) Sanders, Larry Wiese, Greg Wiese, Julie (Bruce) Hanson, Lisa (Karl) Hansen, Tom (Wendy) Wiese, Margaret (Jeff Haack) Wiese, and Paul Wiese, 10 grandchildren, and 1 great grandchild. Mass of the Christian Burial will be at Holy Family Church at 11:00 am September 25. To leave an online condolence, please visit Yaringtons.com. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Ted’s memory to Catholic Community Services or Holy Family Parish.

(WCN publishes obituaries by request, free of charge. Please e-mail the text, and a photo if available, to whitecenternow@gmail.com)

Family and friends are remembering longtime florist Laurie Rosenthal, 66, this weekend. (You might remember her from the now-closed White Center shop South End Florist.) Here’s the remembrance her family shared:

Laurie Jean Rosenthal, was born to Louis and Leona Hostak on December 31, 1946 and passed away after a short battle with cancer on May 1, 2013.

Laurie was a faithful, loving and passionate daughter, mother, aunt, grandmother and friend. She stayed in the Seattle area all of her life, and was a popular florist at Fran’s Flowers and South End Florist for many years. She will be remembered for her great sense of humor, practical jokes, love of animals, and most of all, her love of family. She adored the love of her life Lonnie, her son Joe and daughter-in-law Debbie, and her son Tony and daughter-in-law Tina. She also loved teasing her brothers and their wives Jim and Mary and Don and Myrna. She was preceded in death by her brother Bob.

She especially loved her grandchildren Anthony, Joshua and Katie. Anytime Josh and Anthony had a baseball game, you would find her in the stands cheering as loud as she could. She never missed a game! She also enjoyed camping and ice cream with Katie. Her numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins were near and dear to her heart. Lana and Bev were her dearest friends and she loved them and their families with all of her heart. She loved all of her many friends and cherished each friendship. All who knew her, loved her and will greatly miss her.

An open house to celebrate Laurie’s life will be held on Saturday, May 4 at 1pm in Enumclaw. Contact Tony at tlrosenthal@comcast.net for details.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in her name to your favorite animal charity.