Ross L. Noltimier, 87, passed peacefully on Aug. 4, 2009 from complications of lung cancer.
Beloved father, grandfather and friend, Ross was born near Oriska, N.D., to Wilbert (Bert) and Blanche (McCready) Noltimier on June 23, 1922.
He left North Dakota at the age of 17 to join the Army Air Corps and serve his country. During World War II, he served with the 7th Bombardier Group, in the Indo-China Theater, as pilot/co-pilot in B-17s and B-24s. He valued friendships from that era throughout his life.
Following the war, he returned to Seattle to marry Gene (Terwilliger) Noltimier. Together they shared
57 years of marriage, raising a family primarily in Seattle’s Magnolia community, with brief stints in Cleveland, Ohio and Tehran, Iran. They spent their last years together in a home they built on Whidbey Island. Ross was predeceased by his wife, Gene, in 2003 and by his sister and only sibling, Jean, in 2003.
Ross attended the University of Washington, making use of the G.I. Bill and earning degrees in mechanical and aeronautical engineering. He later earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering.
In the early 1950s, he worked for a small engineering company, Trigve Hoff & Associates, in Cleveland, Ohio. His lifetime interest in aviation led him back to Seattle in 1956 and to a job with the Boeing Company. He worked for Boeing until his retirement in 1986. He was a proud and active member of SPEEA, serving as its president in 1965.
Ross was a man of many interests and talents, not the least of which was an innate musical ability that allowed him to play the piano, ukulele and other instruments “by ear.” He loved traveling, socializing, dancing, singing, fishing and crabbing on Whidbey and learning about anything new. A games and puzzle enthusiast, he loved to play cards, especially bridge and hearts, and regularly worked Sudoku and crosswords — even in his recent days. His curiosity about anything mechanical or electrical often resulted in his family being the “first on the block” to own new gadgets or technology such as televisions, stereos or various power tools. In recent years, he enjoyed communicating with friends and relatives via e-mail. He was known for a quick wit and good sense of humor, and was especially fond of limericks and corny jokes.
Ross is survived by four children, Linda Strout (David), Christine Noltimier (Dan Crews), Sandy Noltimier (Jim Hyden), and Ross Jr. (Erika); four grandchildren, Louis Crews, Leah Crews, Natasha Noltimier and Ariel Noltimier; his niece, Joan Johnson and her family, and nephew, Peter Krohn. He is also survived by his favorite dance partner and loving companion, Shirley Nuce. Other survivors include members of Gene’s family and his special friends and neighbors at the Harbor Grove community.
A service to honor his life will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 13 at Freeland Hall, located at 1515 Shoreview Drive in Freeland.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations in Ross’s name to the Bayview Senior Center on Whidbey Island: 1459 Highway 525, Langley, WA 98260.
