Patricia Currie

Patricia Louise Currie, of Issaquah, died at her home surrounded by her three sons on Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2010. She was 82.

Pat was born in Eugene, Ore., on Dec. 31, 1927. She graduated from Marcola High School. Pat and Don were married in 1947 and had three sons. In 1955, the family moved to Issaquah, where she spent the rest of her life.

Pat was dedicated to her family and provided a very supportive and loving environment. She organized birthday parties, was a den mother as the children worked their way through Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts and attended all of the children’s activities.

Pat worked for the Snoqualmie Valley Record and later at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer as a linotype operator. She was the first woman to hold this position in what had been a male-dominated line of work. She was proud to have broken that barrier.

Don and Pat worked hard to send their three sons to college, producing a professional architect, a mechanical engineer and a commercial fisherman. Pat was very proud that all three children were very successful.

Pat loved her Westie, Ceci. Ceci was her constant companion throughout her battle with lymphoma. Pat enjoyed the many birds that came to her feeding stations, and collecting Westie memorabilia and ruby-stained glass.

Pat was preceded in death by her husband Donald M Currie.

Pat is survived by her three sons, Richard D. Currie, of Bellevue, Thomas P. Currie, of Kennewick, Washington and William M. Currie, of Westport, Washington; brother-in-law John Currie, of North Bend; and two grandsons.

Donations in lieu of flowers may be made to the Audubon Society or the Seattle Humane Society.

Arrangements are entrusted to Flintoft’s Funeral Home and Crematory, 392-6444.

Friends are invited to view photos, share memories and sign Pat’s online guestbook at www.flintofts.com.

Burial was at Hillside Cemetery, Issaquah.

Nellie was born June 12, 1921, in Barnesville, Ohio, the daughter of Harry and Edna Holland. She was raised in Ohio and married Wilfred E. Gamble on Jan. 1, 1940, in Barnesville.

They moved to Issaquah in 1977 and then she moved to Fall City in 1997. Recently, she has lived at the Red Oak Retirement Center in North Bend.

In her leisure time, she enjoyed taking care of children and spending time with her friends and family.

She was preceded in death by Wilfred in 1979.

Survivors include her son Harry Gamble, of Fall City; daughter Patricia Ann Russell, of New Garden, Ohio; sister Ruth Huntsman, of Canton, Ohio; five grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

Remembrances may be made to the Alice Clewell Scholarship Fund c/o Martha Faloon, 9501 state Route 9, Hanoverton, Ohio 44423.

Arrangements are by Flintoft’s Funeral Home and Crematory.

Friends are invited to share memories and sign the family’s guest book at www.flintofts.com

June Johanson

June Johanson, of Issaquah, died at Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle on Aug. 20, 2010. She was a young 71.

A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Sept. 11 at Flintoft’s Issaquah Funeral Home, 540 E. Sunset Way, Issaquah (392-6444). A reception will follow at Vasa Hall in Upper Preston. A family committal will be held at a later date at the Preston Cemetery.

June was born Feb. 18, 1939, in Seattle to Vernon and Frances Peterson. Shortly after her birth, they moved to the Issaquah area. June spent 12 years in the Issaquah schools and graduated from Issaquah High School in 1957.

After brief stays in Kent and Ephrata, she returned to Issaquah, where she lived until her passing. June was employed by the law firm McDonald-Hogue & Bayless in Seattle for a number of years. Later, she was employed by Issaquah Tire Service until her retirement.

June had many special interests, but first and foremost she loved her granddaughters. She also enjoyed sewing, gardening, playing cards and outdoor sports. She was a longtime member of the Gilman Rebeka Lodge No. 59, Issaquah Eagles Area 3054 Auxiliary and the Vasa Order of America.

Survivors include her husband Roger; sister Joan (Gary) Prather, of Ephrata; two children, Becky (Jim) Dargitz, of Maple Valley, and Tim Meier, of Snoqualmie; two stepsons, Jason and Jon; three wonderful granddaughters; and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.

June was a special person to many and will be missed by all, including her family.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests remembrances to the American Cancer Society.

Friends are invited to get directions, view photos and share memories in the family’s online guest book at www.flintofts.com.

Dorothy Johnson

Dorothy Mildred (Morrison) Johnson, of Gig Harbor, and Yuma, Ariz., passed away at Saint Joseph’s Hospital in Tacoma on Aug. 27, 2010, in the presence of her loving family.

She was born July 7, 1929, in Seattle to John Archie (Lugs) and Edna Morrison. She was raised in Issaquah with her four brothers Bill, Kenneth, Norman, Louie and half-sister Jean. She was a granddaughter of Alexander and Annie Paterson, an Issaquah pioneer family.

In her youth, Dorothy was very active in sports. She graduated from Issaquah High School at the age of 16. She was blessed with five children and loved to take them berry picking, clam digging, swimming and mushroom picking.

She was an avid reader who promoted the idea of education to her children and grandchildren. She also loved to play the piano and blessed us all with her gift for growing beautiful flowers.

In her later years, after retiring from The Boeing Co., she and Gary, her devoted husband of 45 years, became very active in the American Legion.

Survivors include her loving husband Gary Johnson, and children John Grinols, Janice Fox, Jerri Cole and Jaynie Jackson. She is also survived by her numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Preceding her in death were her parents, brother Kenneth, half-sister Jean, and her son Willis Jay (Butch) Grinols III.

Dorothy touched many people’s lives with her love and friendship. She will be in our hearts forever.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, Sept. 4, 2010, at 2 p.m. at Flintoft’s Funeral Home, 540 E. Sunset Way, Issaquah, WA 98027.

Following the graveside service a reception will be held at the Issaquah Eagles Hall, 175 Front Street N., Issaquah, WA 98027.

Friends are invited to sign Dorothy’s online guestbook at www.flintofts.com.

The family suggests remembrances to the American Legion Post 19, 2575 S. Virginia Drive, Yuma, AZ 85364.

Donald Loeffler

A funeral service for Donald Ray Loeffler, 78, of Bothell, will be held at 10 a.m. Sept. 1, 2010, at Kenmore Community Church. Burial will follow at the Lower Hillside Cemetery in Issaquah.

Donald Ray was born in Redondo Beach, Calif., on July 17, 1932, to John Edmund and Ethel Fern (Stollar) Loeffler. The family moved to Fall City when Donald was 14.

After graduating from Mount Si High School in 1950, Don moved back to Yermo and worked with his brother Johnny and wife Yvonne in his parents’ malt shop. He enlisted in the Navy in May 1951.

On Dec. 10, 1952, Donald married Joyce Raye and then was shipped out to Guam. Donald was honorably discharged from the Navy on April 29, 1955. Don began his employment with The Boeing Co. in Seattle on May 17, 1955. He remained with them until his retirement on Jan. 1, 1995.

Don was initiated into the Masonic Lodge in September 1963, continuing on to attain the 32nd degree of the Scottish Rite and becoming a Noble of the Kem Temple Shrine in Grand Forks, N.D. Don was also a member of Kenmore Community Church.

Don liked hunting and fishing, especially in North Dakota and Montana. He also really enjoyed metal detecting and donating his money to the casinos. He was an avid sports fan, beginning with watching (and yelling at) the games on television and going on to become a UW Husky season ticket holder.

Don was preceded in death by Joyce, his wife of 48 years, and sister Betty Jane.

Survivors include his daughters Kim Reyburn (John), of Carrollton, Mo., and Karen Donohue (Mike), of Bothell; son David Loeffler (Shellee), of Fall City; three grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

Arrangements are entrusted to Flintoft’s Funeral Home and Crematory, 392-6444.

Friends are invited to view pictures and a full obituary, get directions and share memories in the family’s online guest book at www.flintofts.com.

Funeral services will be at noon Aug. 26 at Flintoft’s Issaquah Funeral Home, 540 E. Sunset Way.Born in Kirkland on Jan. 28, 1930, Shirley was the daughter of Donald and Thelma Flypa. In her youth, Shirley moved to Long Beach, Calif., where she was a member of the Roughriders Rodeo and became an expert in archery.

Shirley met and married Ernest Van Tassel and was blessed with one son, Larry Curtis Van Tassel. Shirley relocated to Washington in 1968. Shirley was a member of the Wagon Wheels Square Dancing Club and was very active in Issaquah Salmon Days.

Shirley will be remembered for her sense of humor, and her love for her family and her animals.

Shirley was preceded in death by her son Larry.

Shirley is survived by her husband Russell Ladd, daughter-in-law Kathy Van Tassel, three granddaughters and two great-grandchildren.

Friends are invited to view photos, share memories and sign the family’s online guest book at www.flintofts.com.

A memorial gathering was Aug. 20 at the family home in Issaquah.Byron was born Aug. 3, 1950, in Portland, Ore., the son of Hugh DuPont and Imogene Ferrell. He was raised in Portland and graduated from Madison High School and then earned his degree in civil engineering from Bellevue College.

Married to Linda DuPont in 1972, he had two daughters, Julie and Sara. He worked in civil engineering and was the founding owner and operator of BEX excavation and utility company.

Throughout his life, he enjoyed skiing, fishing, biking and exploring national parks. He and his wife built their own home on Tiger Mountain and a house in Hawaii, where he loved to snorkel and enjoy the surf.

He is survived by his wife Linda, his daughters Sara Tianna DuPont and Julie Banks, his brothers Greg DuPont and Mike Ferrell, and sister Judy Lesch.

The family suggests remembrances to Sustainable Organic Integrated Livelihoods at www.oursoil.org or 124 Church Road, Sherburne, NY 13460.

Friends are invited to share memories and sign the family’s online guestbook at www.flintofts.com.

Gloria Sadlier

Gloria Christine Sadlier, formerly of Issaquah, died Aug. 14, 2010, in Bellevue. She was 79.

A celebration of her life will be from 1-4 p.m. Aug. 28 in the main worship center at Crossroads Bible Church,15815 S.E. 37th St., Bellevue.Gloria was born and raised in Minneapolis, to Albert and Anna King. She graduated from Edison High School in Minneapolis.

In 1955, Gloria married Joseph Byron Sadlier. They moved to Seattle and later lived in Issaquah and Bellevue. They owned Sadlier’s Country Store from January 1968 to late 1979.

Gloria enjoyed traveling and scrapbooking.

Her family remembers her as a great mom.

She is survived by sons Patrick Sadlier, of Winston Salem, N.C., and Shawn Sadlier, of Milwaukee; and daughter Connie Stoneburner, of Redmond.

She was preceded in death by Joseph B. Sadlier in 2009.

O.J. Whittemore

Professor Emeritus O.J. (Whit) Whittemore, formerly of Issaquah, died July 20, 2010, surrounded by family and caregivers. He was 91.

There will be a celebration of his life at noon Sept. 3 at his residence in Kirkland.Whit was born Jan. 24, 1919, in Clear Lake, Iowa. Whit got his master’s degree in June 1941 and a professional degree in ceramic engineering from Iowa State in 1950. He was a member of the Sigma Nu Fraternity.

After he received his master’s degree, he worked at the Mellon Institute of Pittsburgh from November 1941 to May 1944 on refractories testing. Then, he was hired to work on ceramic materials related to the Manhattan Project (atomic bomb) at MIT in Cambridge, Mass.

After the war, he moved with his family to Princeton, Mass., to work at Norton Co. Out of the many projects available, he chose to work on stabilized zirconia refractories. For his work on pure oxide refractories, he received the Admiral Earle Award of the Worcester Engineering Society.

In 1960, he was elected fellow of the American Ceramic Society. In 1964, he was offered an associate professorship at the University of Washington in Seattle. He taught the refractories course at the UW and created two courses on ceramic processing.

He took a sabbatical in 1976 at a university in Sao Carlos, Brazil, with his wife Barbara to help establish a new ceramic engineering program there. In 1987, he finally retired as professor emeritus. However, he continued to occasionally consult.

He lived in Issaquah from 2003-2009.

Whit loved hiking, camping, figure skating, skiing and kayaking. He and Barbara took 35 Elderhostel trips around the world. He will be missed. His quiet dry humor was with him up to the end.

He is survived by his loving wife Barbara E. Greenwood Whittemore; his daughters Bonnie Turner, of Harrisburg, Pa., and Corin Whittemore and partner Gani Ruthellen, of Kirkland; son Donald Whittemore and wife Andrea, of Lawrence, Kan.; six grandchildren; one great-grandson; brother Jim Whittemore; and sister Georgeann Kuhl.

He was predeceased by his brother Jerry Whittemore.

Whit and Barbara celebrated their 68th anniversary Oct. 4, 2009.

Friends are invited to share memories, view photos and sign the family’s online guestb

Clifton A. Johnson

Feb. 2, 1925 – July 29, 2010

Clifton Johnson was our beloved, husband, father, brother and friend.Clifton was born in Bellingham, the second of three children. He grew up on the family farm in Ferndale. He graduated from Ferndale High School in 1943 and joined the Navy to serve his nation in the South Pacific as a radar man.

He returned to Bellingham after World War II, married his high school sweetheart Phyllis and went to Western Washington State College under the GI bill. Although he was most comfortable with an informal and easy manner of speaking, in college he learned to love the great poets and finished with a degree in English and education. He had a good memory for poetry and frequently recited his favorites to the delight of many children.

Clifton and Phyllis moved from Bellingham to Everett, where they lived for 14 years and began to raise a family. Clifton taught sixth grade at Washington Elementary School, went on to earn a Master of Arts in education from WWSC, and became principal of Longfellow Elementary School.

In 1963, the family moved to Issaquah, where Clifton accepted a new challenge as assistant superintendent. Over the next few years, he completed his doctorate in education from the University of Washington and was also promoted to superintendent of the Issaquah School District. He served the community in this role until his retirement in 1983. In all, he dedicated 35 years to the care and education of children.

Clifton always dedicated his effort to the growth and learning of the children in his care. In his youth, he worked with the YMCA and Boys Club to help disadvantaged and troubled kids find opportunity and hope. Throughout his career, he remained an advocate for children against the pressures to streamline and shortcut their education.

He was active in the Issaquah community through the chamber of commerce, serving as president, and also the Kiwanis Club, where he frequently participated in cooking and serving salmon steaks at the Issaquah Salmon Days festival.

He was a gentle man and a devout Christian. He treated his fellows and the world about him with true kindness. He taught us through his actions, and yet could twist an outrageous discussion into an example of his faith.

Clifton loved life, and took it in big bites with a grin on his face and a twinkle in his eyes. He loved to read, travel, swim and play tennis. Above all else, he loved his wife Phyllis. They walked together through 63 years of work, play and faith in God.

He is preceded in death by his parents Abon and Lorena, and sister Mary-Ellen. He is survived by wife Phyllis; daughter Diana Starr; son Ted; brother William; son-in-law Richard Starr; grandchildren Kris Johnson, Melissa Starr and Jason Starr; and a score of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. Together, we praise and celebrate a life so well lived.

We will hold a memorial service at 2 p.m. Friday, Aug. 27, at Greenwood Memorial Park in Renton. All of Clifton’s friends are welcome to attend.

In lieu of flowers, please send a donation either to the American Heart Association, the Kids in Need Foundation or the Mul