Footnotes: In Memoriam

 

ROBERT BREEDLOVE, longtime maintenance sage at SPU’s Casey Conference Center, died July 22, 2011, at the age of 81. A gifted carpenter, he spent 28 years keeping Casey shipshape and ready for guests. He took great care with general building repairs and restoring the historic facilities, and had a special place in his heart for the resident deer of Casey, naming most of them himself. He loved to tell stories of his early lumberjack days. For 15 years, he was such a regular on Island Transit that the bus company threw him a farewell party upon his retirement in 2006. A lover of hunting, raising dogs, diving, and collecting guns, Bob was always quick to share his faith, be it on the bus, at the hospital, or at Casey. His colorful career included serving as deputy sheriff and deputy marshal of Langley, Washington, and topping trees on weekends. Bob is survived by his wife, Lee; six children; many grandchildren and great-grandchildren; and a brother.

 

 

 

MARVIN COHAGAN ’48 died June 7, 2011, at the age of 89. Born near Seattle, Marvin was a preacher’s kid in various Free Methodist churches in Oregon and Washington. Devoted to Christ at an early age, he served in the Army Air Force and spent a year and a half stationed in India during World War II before attending Seattle Pacific. He worked 38 years at a variety of positions within the Fuller O’Brien Paint Company, including national marketing services manager. In retirement he joined Gideons International and distributed Bibles at local schools. An outdoorsman and traveler, generous of nature, Marvin loved God and family. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, MARGARET TURNBOUGH COHAGAN; two daughters; a son; seven grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; two sisters; and numerous nieces and nephews.

DANIEL DUNGAN ’66, M.Ed. ’68, died March 2, 2011, at the age of 66. Born in Seattle, Daniel taught for 32 years in Seattle public schools, where he led spring break tours from Denmark to Uzbekistan. An accomplished athlete, he played baseball through the semi-pro level and in 1962 came to Seattle Pacific on a baseball scholarship. Discovery of a congenital heart defect ended his baseball career his first year. Plan B meant he majored in history and education, became a teacher, and worked as Falcon basketball team manager under Coach Les Habbeger. He committed his life to Christ in his sophomore year and became a member of Centurions men’s service honorary. As a family man and a teacher, he economized by commuting to his classroom by bus and running, logging 7.5 miles per day, four days a week, for nearly two decades. In retirement, Daniel was a sports director for a Bible camp, a tour bus driver, and a staff member in Alaska’s Denali National Park. He is survived by his wife of 44 years, DORIS BERGMAN DUNGAN; a daughter; a son; five grandchildren; a brother; and nieces and nephews.

LESLIE HOAG-CHRISTENSEN ’90 died September 2, 2011, at the age of 45. Known for a sense of humor, beautiful smile, and magnetic personality, Leslie was born in Newport News, Virginia. During her school years, she enjoyed soccer, swimming, and Arabian horse shows. She is survived by her husband of 15 years, Todd; her parents; three brothers; and numerous nieces and nephews.

ALICE FULKERSON HUSSEY ’52 died May 11, 2011, at the age of 89. Alice was born in Seattle and lost her father when she was 5 years old and her mother 21 years later. Alice enjoyed music and dance. After high school, she attended Canada’s Prairie Bible College and Oregon’s Linfield College before earning her teaching credentials at Seattle Pacific. She taught school, tutored, and farmed. A Sunday school teacher in the Presbyterian Church, Alice also worked in the church nursery and vacation Bible school. She counted ballots in elections and weighed and measured babies at a well child clinic. She delighted her grandchildren by making edible play dough and dressing up as a gypsy every Halloween. Alice is survived by her husband of 56 years, Charles; two daughters; a son; three grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and a brother.

LOWELL INGRAM ’58 died June 4, 2011, at the age of 75. After earning a master’s degree in education from the University of Washington, Lowell worked for Seattle public schools as a teacher/counselor. He was honored with a Golden Acorn Award for Outstanding Teacher of the Year, then served 17 years as a counselor/advisor for UW. Lowell led students to Botswana to build a three-room brick schoolhouse, and was a family/marriage and alcohol/drug counselor for several years. For 23 years after retiring from UW, he was a property manager for a large condominium association. A fan of trains, he vacationed by train whenever possible. Lowell is survived by his wife, Ruth, a daughter, and a son.

WARREN JOHNSON ’50 died June 26, 2011, at the age of 89. Born in Watertown, South Dakota, Warren worked on the family farm before serving three years as a Navy Seabee in the Pacific theater. He and his wife served 30 years as Free Methodist missionaries in South Africa and Malawi. In 1981, he received a master’s degree in missiology from Fuller Theological Seminary and the Johnsons settled in the U.S. to shepherd Free Methodist churches in Washington, Alaska, and British Columbia. Warren is survived by his wife of 64 years, JEAN RIDER JOHNSON ’49; a daughter; two sons; 10 grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; a sister; and a brother.

PATRICIA ANDERSON LEICESTER ’56 died June 8, 2011, at the age of 76. A former paralegal, Patricia lived many years in the area of Soap Lake, Washington. She is survived by a son, a sister, and a brother.

DONALD MASON ’72 died January 28, 2011, at the age of 66. Born in Durango, Colorado, Donald served in Vietnam with the U.S. Army before completing his bachelor’s degree at Seattle Pacific. He trained to be a Nazarene pastor and served churches in California, Oregon, and Idaho. Military honors were provided at his memorial service by members of the Idaho Army National Guard. Donald is survived by his wife, Esther; a daughter; a son; three grandchildren; his father; and two brothers.

 

 

J. DENTON PALMER ’55 died February 16, 2011, at the age of 78. Born in Yakima, Washington, Denton spent his high school years working the family farm and running track. At Seattle Pacific, he knew by his sophomore year that he would become a teacher. The 35 years he served in California schools as teacher, principal, and superintendent demonstrate his firm belief in the power of education. He also enjoyed fishing, running, skiing, hiking, kayaking, and a lifetime of cycling. In retirement on Washington’s Whidbey Island, it was not unusual for him to take bike trips of 60 miles or more at one time, then go home and mow the lawn. For 10 years a member of the board of the SPU Alumni Association, Denton was a member of the Oak Harbor First Reformed Church and of Gideons International. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, EVA MCCLEEREY PALMER ’56; two daughters; a son, BRUCE PALMER ’79; a brother; 27 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.

ESTHER THORSEN PETERSON ’42 died August 16, 2011, at the age of 91. She was born in Turlock, California, and Turlock remained her home base all her life. A bookkeeper for the family business, Thorsen’s Plumbing, Esther earned a business administration degree from Seattle Pacific and invested it in a 26-year career teaching high school business courses. She was also a counselor, dean of girls, and the college registrar at Los Angeles Pacific College and High School. A world traveler — the South Pacific, the Philippines, Scandinavia, Israel — Esther saw much of the United States as well. An active member of Crossroads Evangelical Free Church, she is survived by her husband, Milton; a son; two grandchildren; several nieces and nephews; and grand-nieces and nephews.

 

 

PHILIP RAND ’77 died August 25, 2011, at the age of 56. Born in Shelton, Washington, he grew up in Yakima on the eastern side of the state. After graduating from SPU, he worked as a programmer/analyst at three Seattle-based companies. He returned to SPU in 1988 as a senior systems analyst and spent the next 20 years on the Computer and Information Systems team. Phil specialized in Digital Equipment Corporation hardware and software. After leaving SPU in 2008, he returned to Yakima. He was soft-spoken and dedicated to his work, while also nurturing outside interests. Phil was passionate about stocks, finances, and sailing — even building his own sailboat. He is survived by his father; a sister; a brother, THOMAS RAND ’79; and three nephews, including DAVID RAND ’04 and KARL ERICKSON ’91.

DOROTHY SMITH ’66 died June 26, 2011, at the age of 80. Born in Orilla, Ontario, Canada, she started school by jumping to the second grade because her father had taught her to read. She learned to sing by taking voice lessons from the man who taught entertainer Gordon Lightfoot to sing. Her duets could be heard on the local radio station, but it was nursing for which Dorothy was particularly suited. She was a nurse practitioner at SPU’s Student Health Center for most of her career. In “retirement,” however, she became a fulltime volunteer at, and part owner of, Harvest Logos Bookstore. Eventually, she had to “limit” her hours to just 40–50 per week. Dorothy was known for a life of prayer, which encompassed both the staff and customers of the bookstore.