Marie Maynard
Marie Louise (Lefief) Maynard died July 7, 2002 in Vancouver at the age of 95. She was born June 30, 1907 in Heistenzea, Belgium.
Mrs. Maynard was preceded in death by her husband Frank L. Maynard in 1966. She is survived by her niece, Louise Smith.
A memorial service will be held at a later date. Interment will be at the Willamette National Cemetery in Portland, Ore.
Remembrances may be made to the Children’s Home Society of Washington, 309 W. 12th Street, Vancouver, WA 98666-0605.
Barbara Behrendt
Barbara Jean Behrendt, 75, died in Coupeville July 9, 2002 after an extended illness. She was a resident of Whidbey Island since 1955.
Mrs. Behrendt is survived by her husband of 47 years, Jack Behrendt of Clinton; one son, Rick Behrendt and his wife, Indy, of the U.S. Coast Guard; one daughter, Jackie Lynn Cartwright, and her husband, Jack, of Bremerton; and two grandchildren, Jeff and Greg. One son, Robin Eugene Behrendt, preceded her in death.
A memorial service will be held July 15, 2002 at 1 p.m. at Visser Funeral Home in Langley.
Donald Stark
Donald Essley Stark, 87, of Kirkland and South Whidbey Island, died June 22, 2002, in Bodo, Norway, while on a cruise with his long-time close friend and companion, JoAnn Watkins.
Mr. Stark was born in Eustis Neb., Nov. 16, 1914. He moved to Seattle in the late 1930s, and began his life’s work in the automotive industry. His first place of employment was the Butler Garage, working for friend Merle Dixon. He went on to work at Huletz (Auto) Electric on his birthday in 1938. He worked his way up from parts delivery driver to general manager, a post from which he retired in 1962. Not content to be idle, he worked in several other auto parts houses until 1981, and for the past 20 years, he assisted his son, Rick, in Rick’s auto parts store and Corvette repair facility in Kirkland.
Mr. Stark met and married his former wife, Elvira M. Blazina, in 1940, and together they had one son. Although the marriage did not last, Don and Elvira remained good friends until her death in September 2000.
Over the course of his life, Don belonged to the Lake City Elks Club, the Roosevelt Lions Club and Sports Car Club of America.
He is survived by his son, Rick Stark of Woodvinville, his grandson Jonathan (Michelle) Stark of Redmond, Ore., his great-grandson, Jacob Stark, and his close friend and companion of 13 years, JoAnn Watkins, as well as numerous other friends and relatives.
According to his wishes there will be no formal funeral services. However, a celebration of life gathering will be held on Aug. 17, 2002. Contact Rick at 425-823-0522 for details. Remembrances may be made to Boys Town USA, P.O. Box 6000, Boys Town, Neb. 68010, an organization Mr. Stark supported for over 60 years.
Karen Furman
Karen Marie Furman lost her courageous battle to cancer on July 8, 2002 with her family at her side. Mrs. Furman was born in Seattle on Jan. 21, 1958 to Eldon and Gladys Lambert.
Mrs. Furman was three when the family moved to Whidbey Island. She graduated from Langley High School in 1976, and that summer married Peter Furman. They raised their family on a Millman Road, Freeland, farm.
Mrs. Furman worked at various places on South Whidbey, but will be best remembered for her smiles at Ace Hardware.
Mrs. Furman is survived by her fiance Dale Cason of Freeland and her children, Stephanie (Ken) Blehm of Selah, Kenneth (Selina) Furman of Louisiana, DeAnna (Iris Briggs) Furman of Everett, and Peter Furman Jr. of Freeland.
She is also survived by her grandchildren, Kenny, Hunter and Montana Blehm, Jordan Furman, and Arianna Briggs; her mother, Julie Lambert of Clinton; brother, Howard (Becky) Lambert of New Mexico; and sisters, Jennie (Jim) Gabelein of Clinton, Patty (Vincent) Valdez of Kennewick, Marjorie (Terry) Hornshaw of Clinton, Linda (Jay) Wallace of Clinton, Bonnie (Peter Greene) Nichols of Greenbank, Sandy (Ray) Tolen of Colorado, Phyllis (Kenny Furman) Lambert of Freeland, Judy (Daren) Steadman of Tennessee, and numerous aunts, uncles, nephews and nieces.
Graveside services will take place July 14, 2002 at the Bayview Cemetery at 1 p.m. A celebration of Karen’s life will be held following the service at the home of Phyllis and Kenny Furman, 2131 E. Millman Road, Freeland.
Nora Swenson
Nora McLaren Swenson died peacefully at her Useless Bay beach house on the morning of July 7, 2002. She was 90 years old.
Mrs. Swenson was born in Dawson City, Yukon Territory. She was the youngest of seven children of Malcolm and Sarah McLaren. She left the Yukon at age 15 and settled in Seattle with her mother, entering Lincoln High School as a freshman. The Seattle School District tested her to determine what grade her one-room schoolhouse education would place her in and graduated her that spring.
After a brief career in a law office, she met and married Harvey F. “Sandy” Swenson. As an 18-year-old female in 1929, she was an adult and could marry without parental consent. Mr. Swenson, however, had to get permission to marry, and Mrs. Swenson teased him about this for 66 years of marriage.
Mrs. Swenson was a loving, nurturing woman who gave of herself without hesitation to family and loved ones. Even when her final illness was diagnosed as terminal, one of her greatest concerns was how to tell her sister, Dorothy Walloch, and her strong desire to not cast a shadow on Dorothy’s upcoming 100th birthday celebration.
Mrs. Swenson was preceded in death by her husband, Sandy, and leaves a daughter, Christine Schrecengost; granddaughters Alasun Rose and Shannon Nora Schrecengost of Freeland; son, Daniel Thor Swenson; and grandson, Steven Daniel Swenson, both of Seattle.
She also leaves behind her sister Dorothy of Seattle, and too many nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, great-great- nieces and nephews to list, but she leaves them with memories.
A memorial service will be held at Trinity Lutheran Church in Freeland at 1 p.m. July 13, 2002. The family requests memorials to be sent to the Steve Schrecengost Vision Endowment Fund of Trinity Lutheran Church or to the American Cancer Society.
George W. Wood
George W. Wood, DDS, died July 8, 2002.
Born near Bigfork, Mont., in 1918, Mrs. Wood spent his early years in Kalispell, Mont. He served five years in the Army and the Air Force in World War II. He married Grace Scearce in 1942, then attended Whitman College in Walla Walla and the University of Washington School of Dentistry, graduating in 1951.
He practiced dentistry in Walla Walla for 30 years before retirement, and lived on Whidbey Island for the remainder of his life. He and Grace recently celebrated 60 years of marriage.
Mr. Wood is survived by his wife and three children, Cynthia Shelton and her husband, John, in Langley; Douglas R. Wood, DDS and his wife LaVonne, in Oak Harbor; and George Stanley Wood and his wife, Marilyn, in Seattle. He also is survived by four grandchildren, Jill Winford, Allison Wood, Jami Belieu and Kyl Wood; a great-grandson, Jack Winford; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Mr. Wood had a penchant for joining “good causes” and served in leadership roles in many organizations. He was president of Washington Dental Service, the Washington State Dental Association, Walla Walla Chamber of Commerce, Walla Walla Rotary Club, Walla Walla Community College, and Useless Bay Golf and Country Club on Whidbey Island.
His family loved him for his generous and loving spirit, a sense of humor that delighted all who knew him, and his ability to touch so many lives in a meaningful way. The family will miss him deeply.
A memorial service for George Wood will be held Sunday, July 21 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Useless Bay Country Club. Arrangements are under the direction of Burley Funeral Chapel, Oak Harbor.
Manita Nery
Manita Nery died June 28, 2002, in a hiking accident in Glacier National Park, Mont.
Ms. Nery was born in the Philippines, and at the age of 13 moved to Los Angeles. She graduated from California State University and began her teaching career in Southern California.
After giving birth to her first son, Rodi, she sought a more peaceful place to raise her family and found her dream house on Whidbey Island. Ms. Nery took a teaching position in the Edmonds School District and was blessed with two more children, Feliza and Lino.
Ms. Nery lived on Whidbey Island for over 25 years. She saw the island as her place of refuge, which gave her the strength to be an inspirational teacher, loving mother and devoted friend. She guided and shaped the minds and lives of students at Alderwood Middle School for 20 years. She taught home economics and had a knack for focusing on “problem children,” whom she chose to see as special with unique talents and gifts.
Ms. Nery had a zest for life that drove her to seek and conquer challenges. She ran her first marathon when she was 50 and spent her “golden years” learning to use an ice axe and summit Cascade mountain peaks with her climbing “mountain sisters.” Her family and friends will sorely miss her. She was and is an inspiration.
Ms. Nery is survived by her fiance Hiromi Nara; her children Rodi, Feliza and Lino; other family members and countless friends; and the owls that she loved to watch roost in the cherry tree outside her kitchen window.
Donations may be made to the Manita Nery Memorial Fund at Washington Mutual Bank. A portion of the proceeds will be used to further the establishment of a crisis management program in Glacier National Park.
Ralph E. White
Ralph E. White of Freeland died June 9 at Swedish Medical Center due to complications from a stroke he suffered three days earlier.
Mr. White was born in Corinne, Utah, in 1917 and was a staff sergeant with the Army in Alaska, France and Germany during World War II. He was a retired sheet metal worker of Local Union No. 66.
He moved to Freeland in 1986 to build his own house and live a quiet retirement. His wish was to remain independent to the end, and he accomplished this.
He loved gardening and the outdoors, especially fishing the rivers of central Oregon and Washington.
Mr. White is survived by his family, Ralph D. White of Carmel, Calif., Francia E. White and her partner Ellen Waldinger-White of Amherst, Mass., and Monte R. White and his wife Lisa Bodeur White of Snohomish; and grandchildren Anne White, Matteo and Jeremy Waldinger-White and Cailin and Erin White.
