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Winter 2004 | Volume 26, Number 5 | Footnotes

In Memoriam

JAMES LEROY ALLSOPP ’55 died October 26, 2003, at the age of 84. Gifted in music, Roy was the choir director for Seattle’s Hillcrest Presbyterian Church for 20 years. He and his wife, Margaret, later became active members of Foster Tukwila Presbyterian Church in Tukwila, Washington. Roy is survived by a brother and sister, three children, six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

AMSDEN AXELSON ’30 died October 21, 2003. He was 92 years old. Born in Chicago, Illinois, Amsden was 3 months old when his family relocated to Yakutat, Alaska, where his father served as a missionary teacher. Later, Amsden came to Seattle Pacific Academy to complete high school. He earned a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Washington. In 1936, he married ANNA STEINER ’31, and they made their home on Dyes Inlet in Bremerton, Washington, where Amsden worked as an electrical engineer until his retirement in 1966. Amsden was a member of Bremerton’s Lincoln Avenue Bible Church for 62 years, serving as building chairman, Sunday school superintendent, choir director, elder and soloist. He enjoyed fishing, music and sports. Amsden is survived by his wife; son PHILIP AXELSON ’59; daughter MYRNA AXELSON ANDERSON ’61; brother WAYNE AXELSON ’41; five grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.

OSCAR CARLSON CC ’42 died November 16, 2003, at the age of 89. Born in Stockholm, Sweden, Oscar was 4 years old when his family immigrated to Ferndale, Washington. After graduating from Cascade College, he taught music in Portland, Oregon, area schools, including Joseph Lane, Normandale and Edwards elementary schools. He was a choir director for his church and played the violin in the Vancouver Pops Orchestra for 15 years. For many years, he and his wife, ELOIS WILSON CC ’41, were instrumental in organizing Cascade College reunions. Oscar is survived by his wife; two daughters, including MARY CARLSON BOGART CC ’65; one son; seven grandchildren; and 14 greatgrandchildren.

MELVIN GIBSON ’46 died on April 28, 2003. He was 89 years old. Mel’s father and mother, ERNEST GIBSON ’10 and Louisa Beegle (sister of BURTON BEEGLE ’16), met at Seattle Seminary (later to become SPC). Born on the family farm in Snohomish, Washington, Mel followed his parents and entered SPC in 1935, where he met his future wife, LUELLA MILLIKAN ’44. While in school, Mel was an assistant pastor at the Rainier Avenue Free Methodist Church. After graduation, he was pastor to numerous Free Methodist churches in Washington, including Bremerton Free Methodist Church, Anacortes Free Methodist Church and Bellingham Free Methodist Church. In the 1950s, he and Luella returned to SPC to earn teaching certificates and embark on teaching careers. Luella died in 1989 after a prolonged illness, and Mel married Lola Steele in 1990. During their 13-year marriage, they were members of Rainier Avenue Free Methodist Church and Gideons International. Mel is survived by his wife, Lola; his sister, MIRIAM GIBSON VIMONT ’39; two daughters; three sons; one stepdaughter; two stepsons; 20 grandchildren; nine step-grandchildren; 31 great-grandchildren; and one step-great-grandchild.

DEAN MACY CC ’48 died November 7, 2003. He was 76 years old. Born in Napa, Idaho, Dean earned a medical degree from the University of Oregon Medical School after graduating from Cascade College. He had a practice in Hermiston and Gresham, Oregon, and he worked in Legacy and Kaiser Permanente outpatient clinics. Dean married BETTY KOEPKE CC ’48 in 1946, but the two later divorced. He married Joan Maas in 1985. Dean is survived by his wife, Joan; one son; one stepson; one stepdaughter; one brother, MAURICE MACY ’48 CC; seven grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. His son, Stephen, died in 1971.

MAURICE MILLER ’38 died September 28, 2003, at the age of 96. His wife, MARGARET MAC PHEE MILLER ’34, predeceased him by four months. A pastor at several Northwest churches after graduating from SPC, Maurice was also a principal of the Moose Jaw Bible College in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, and served as conference superintendent of the Saskatchewan Conference of the Free Methodist Church. When he retired as chaplain to the Warm Beach Senior Community in Stanwood, Washington, Maurice ended a 65-year career as a Free Methodist minister. He is survived by three daughters, MAURINE MILLER JOHNSON ’58, MIRIAM MILLER GODDING ’64 and MARILYN MILLER O’NEEL ’69; six grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.

LEROY MULLIGAN ’48 died April 10, 2003, at the age of 76. A retired school teacher and native Washingtonian, Leroy was a member of the Gideons International and of the Emmanuel Bible Church of Seattle. Predeceased by his first wife, MARGARET WILSON MULLIGAN ’51, Leroy is survived by his second wife, BETTY MARSH MULLIGAN ’51, two sons and five grandchildren.

RUTH BARNUM RODE ’39 died October 24, 2003, after a long illness. She was 86 years old. Born and raised in Seattle, Ruth graduated from SPC with a teaching degree and taught elementary school in Baring and Sultan, Washington. After marrying Adolph Rode, she joined him in running A & H Grocery Store in Sultan. After he passed away in 1975, she continued to run the store for 18 months. Ruth was involved with many outreach activities, hosted a Bible study in her home and sang in her church’s choir for many years. She is survived by three sons, two daughters, 10 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

LOIS CLARK SCOTT ’36 died October 14, 2003, from complications with Alzheimer’s disease. She was 88 years old. While earning her teaching certificate at SPC, Lois met her future husband, DAVID SCOTT ’38. She went on to teach high school physics and math, and she taught Sunday school at Lake City Presbyterian Church in Seattle. She enjoyed oil painting, sewing, reading the Bible, camping and traveling. Lois was preceded in death by her husband, David, and her son, David. She is survived by a son; two daughters, including RUTH SCOTT ’77; and two grandchildren.

JANET SETTLE STEIGER CC ’48 died January 6, 2003. After graduating from Cascade College, Janet and her husband, DAVID STEIGER CC ’49, were missionaries for 26 years, 24 of which were with Mission Aviation Fellowship in Papua New Guinea and Zimbabwe. She wrote a book with her husband about their adventures titled Uncle Dave, Tell Us a Story. Janet is survived by her husband, one son, two daughters, seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

WARREN WATSON ’32 died January 20, 2004. He was 92 years old. Born in Lawrence, Kansas, Warren was a teen when his family moved to Seattle in 1923 because his father, C. HOYT WATSON, accepted a teaching position at SPC. Three years later, his father became president of SPC, holding that post until 1959. After Warren graduated from Seattle Pacific High School and SPC, he married EDNA INCE ’56 and became a physics and math teacher, as well as a principal, in several schools in Washington state and Alaska. He went on to earn a master’s degree in educational psychology from the University of Washington while serving as dean of men and dean of the Department of Education at SPC. He then moved to the Boeing Company, where he worked for 25 years and was the first “human factors engineer,” making a cockpit more user-friendly for pilots. After 63 years of marriage, Edna died in 1997. In 1999, Warren married Nancy Kelley White, a retired Seattle physician. Warren is survived by his wife, Nancy; brother LYLE WATSON ’34; sisters LOLA WATSON FISHER PETTENGILL ’37 and MIRIAM WATSON ’53; two sons, including DAVID WATSON ’70; five grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; and four great-great-grandchildren.

DONALD WILSON ’49 died October 9, 2003. He was 76 years old. After serving two years in the U.S. Army, Donald enrolled at SPC. He then attended and graduated from the University of Washington (UW) School of Dentistry. He practiced dentistry for 32 years and taught at the UW for 10 years. Donald was an outdoorsman who loved camping, skiing and hiking Mount Rainier. He was known for his singing voice and had a passion for Handel’s “Messiah.” Donald is survived by his wife, Marilyn; his sister, MARION WILSON CREED ’43; three children; five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

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