Whatcom County, Washington Obituary Collection

GenealogyBuff.com - Whatcom County, Washington Obituary Collection - 37

Posted By: GenealogyBuff.com
Date: Tuesday, 5 December 2017, at 2:28 p.m.

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Lilly Jennette Bland
12/19/1915 - 5/6/2006

Our mom, Lilly Jennette Bland passed
away peacefully on Saturday, May 6,
2006. She was married William C. Bland. She went on
to work for the Bon Marche in 1957 when
it opened in Bellingham and then worked
for the City of Bellingham until
retiring in 1979. She always told us
it was all about the “simple things”,
which to her meant her morning coffee,
a Sunday drive, her home, watching
Laurence Welk on Saturday night,
picnics at Cornwall Park and Birch Bay,
and shopping trips to Seattle, but most
of all she cherished her family.
Mom was preceded in passed away in
Bellingham. Bob was death by his wife
Florinda and his daughter Roxanne. He
is survived by his brother David (wife
Susan) Benson of Onaway, ID; sister
Ruth Pagnossin of Bellingham; brothers-
in-law Felix, Jose, and Solomon Marquez
and their families; and numerous nieces
and nephews.
Vigil Services will be held at Westford
Funeral Home on Wednesday, September 20
at 7 PM. A Celebration of Bob’s life
will be held at Westford Funeral Home
on Thursday, September 21 at 11 AM,
followed by Cemetery. Military Honors will be
presented by American Legion Post #7.

Esther Ann Benner
3/12/1919 - 7/27/2006

Esther Ann Benner, age 87 of Bellingham
born March 12,
1919, in Oshkosh, WI, to Joseph and
Johanna (Schmidt) Loos. She was one of
18 children in the family. Esther left
school early to attend beauty school
and began working in a beauty salon.
Although she retired twice she
continued working as a cosmetologist
well into her 70’s. Esther death in 1965. Known to her family and
friends as “Gram,” Esther was a classy
lady who was full of life, love and
optimism. She loved to garden, play
cards and cribbage at the Senior Center
and watch the Mariners. Esther enjoyed
her family, especially her
grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
She is survived by her daughters
Lynette (Jim) Etter of Burlington and
Lyndell (Mel) Hewitt of Bellingham;
granddaughters Samantha Hewitt (Archie
Parker) of Bellingham and Tawnya
(Gregg) Johnson of Puyallup; grandson
Josh (Lacy) Harrison of Omak; great-
granddaughters Brooke Johnson and
Madelynn Johnson; brother Richard Loos
of Plover, WI; sister Theresa Kindig of
Nevis, MN and numerous nieces and
nephews.
Memorials may be made to Whatcom
Hospice; 800 E. Chestnut, Suite 1C,
Bellingham, WA 98225.
Visitation will be held at Westford
Funeral Home on Monday, July 31 from 3-
5 PM. A Life Remembrance Service will
be held at Westford Funeral Home on
Tuesday, August 1 at 11 AM followed by
a reception across the street at
Westford’s Broadway Hall. Burial will
follow at Greenacres.

Wallace Winter Atkinson
2/4/1922 - 10/6/2006

Wallace Winter Atkinson born on Feb. 4,
1922 in Boise, ID, the oldest son of
Charlotte Cecelia Winter Atkinson and
Oscar Irl Atkinson. He had fond
memories of growing up on a little five
acre farm up on the bench. It was a
little boy’s paradise with animals and
a half acre pond and a little rowboat.
He loved animals his whole life,
preferring to take pictures rather than
hunt.
When he was a teenager, the family
moved into town where he attended St.
Teresa’s Academy, graduating in 1941.
From 1943-1945 Wally served as an army
medic in the Eyes, Ears, Nose and
Throat Clinic at the 183rd Station
Hospital of Fort Richardson in
Anchorage, AK during WWII. While
serving there, he volunteered for a
rescue trip on Mt. McKinley in 1944
where a military plane had crashed.
After the war, he stayed on in Alaska,
fur trapping with buddies he made while
in the Army and eventually working at
Olive Creek Mines where he met his
future wife, Hilda Smith, sister in law
of his boss.
Once children began to arrive, the
family moved down to the lower forty
eight, living in various cities in
Washington, Idaho, and California, but
always coming back to Bellingham where,
other than touring the Southwest, he
and Hilda have lived for the past 30
years. Wally spent much time on the
fish processing boats in his beloved
Alaska, installing refrigeration units
on the boats to freeze the catch. For
many years he operated Scintilla Sales
out of a shop near the docks in
Fairhaven, building and installing
pollution control incinerators up north
in Alaska on the DEW line and as far
away as Hawaii and Greenland.
Wallace was always willing to help
those less fortunate than himself,
giving freely of what he had and
assisting those most in need. He
greatly valued education and always
encouraged young people to get as much
education as they could.
He is survived by his wife, Hilda,
three daughters and one son, Marie
(Steve) Black of Mendon, UT, Susan
Atkinson of Bellingham, Jennifer
Atkinson of Bellingham and James
Atkinson also of Bellingham. He was
preceded in Cemetery with full military honors. A
reception will follow at the James St.
Chapel.

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