West Seattle, Washington
14 Tuesday
On August 31st, friends and family will gather to remember Ray Sargent, a longtime West Seattleite who died at home in Arbor Heights last week at age 84. They tell us he was known as “the Mayor of Luna Park Café,” where he was a regular, and where he made news in October 2011, saved after a heart attack. He recovered from that, but then was diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer. The staff of Luna Park was part of a celebration of his life that he was able to attend before he died – that’s when the photo at right was taken. (And the family hopes that those touched by Ray or by the café’s support will go to Luna Park for a meal in his memory.) We have a formal obituary for him, followed by a few more thoughts from his daughter – read on:
(Photo by Kristen Marie Tourtillotte)
These newlyweds are hoping their recent ceremony will be the first of two. For starters:
West Seattle residents Keith Bacon and Corianton Hale made it official on August 11th at Sleeping Lady Mountain Resort in Leavenworth, WA. The happy couple are looking forward to making it legal when their friends and neighbors vote to APPROVE R-74 in the upcoming election. The celebration included a Bavarian log-sawing ceremony, a talent show, a tube float down the Wenatchee River, and even made The Stranger’s fashion blog.
One hot ticket outside West Seattle/White Center on Saturday night did have a local connection: Before KISS headlined the White River Amphitheater (with Motley Crüe), three fans got custom KISS-style face paint at the Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor), courtesy of FBL general manager Bradi Jones, who shared the photo – she’s the non-face-painted person in it, with, from left, Persia Saffele of the FBL (“Paul Stanley”), Pete Yore (“Ace Frehley”), and Nicholas Brown (“Peter Criss”).
(Photos by Katie Meyer for WSB)
This morning, we mentioned a West Seattle couple’s plan to take their wedding-day photos in The Junction, by the Easy Street Records sign congratulating them. We of course couldn’t resist the photo op ourselves. Above, the Walk-All-Ways light changes and the wedding party dashes into the street. Next, a group pose:
Katie says it took a few cycles for a practice run, then several for the actual photos.
Now, here’s where we share the couple’s backstory, courtesy of Auburn Scallon, who was a bridesmaid (in a wedding party she described as 90 percent West Seattleites):
Sean Jolly, a West Seattle real estate agent, and Michelle Mierz, Miss West Seattle Hi-Yu 2000, originally met at Our Lady of Guadalupe school. Years later, they reconnected after running into each other in the West Seattle junction and within hours their friend Tiara Johnson asked them, “Why aren’t you two married?!” Three years later, the couple is taking that advice in a ceremony at Holy Names Academy.
Their official wedding photographer is Tara of Tara Leigh Photography, in the striped shirt:
Congratulations to Michelle and Sean!
Another West Seattle wedding announcement!
Kristina Graubins & Kane Jamison are happy to announce that they were married on August 11th at Lincoln Park. The happy couple moved to Seattle from Champaign, IL in 2008 and have lived in Arbor Heights for just over a year. When they’re not walking their dog Ben or tending to their new flock of chickens, they can be found chiseling away at their endless list of urban homestead projects. Please send your happy vibes to the new couple!
Thanks to Mark for the photo and a heartening tale (tail?) from the West Seattle Bridge this morning: Somehow a dog turned up on the westbound bridge around 9 am. Both directions stopped, Mark says; he and others on the EB side watched as people on the WB side “chased the little thing all around the bridge deck and finally corralled it, to some applause.”
ADDED: Even if you don’t usually read comments, make an exception here – as Laura, who was involved in the rescue, tells the story of saving little runaway Bell.
That’s Cal Prinster, who along with dad Gordon Prinster has just made it to New York City – but not by plane or train or car or even motorcycle: They just finished pedaling cross-country! We told you about their plan just before they left back in June; here’s that story. This morning we heard from Gordon, who also shared the photo:
We arrived in Lower Manhattan – slightly thinner – on 8/11/12. We pedaled 3,639 miles in 49 days. It was an unbelievable adventure. We’re now lounging under a tree in Strawberry Fields on a perfect day in Central Park.
Gordon adds that he and Cal – who starts 7th grade at Madison Middle School in 3 weeks – are “looking forward to thanking everybody that gave to pbtfus.org.” That’s the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, for which they raised money with not only this trip but also their 1,732-mile bike ride to the Mexican border last summer. (You can still donate – just follow this link, and please mention Cal Prinster as the “honoree” so they can keep track of everyone who donated in honor of their ride.)
Ada Hallberg will be remembered September 16th at Alki UCC, where, as her family says in this remembrance announcing her death, she was a lifelong member:
“There is a joy in holding close to our inheritance, but even a greater pleasure in continuing the feelings of community” – Ada Hallberg
Ada Hallberg, Alki girl, loving wife, wonderful mother and tireless grassroots activist died peacefully on June 22, 2012 at the age of 87, three and a half months after the passing of her husband, Robert.
Born in Seattle, Washington on August 6, 1924 to Grace and John Woodhouse, Ada was raised at Alki Beach with her two siblings, Neal and Nancy, attended Alki Elementary, James Madison and West Seattle High School. She graduated from the UW where she was a member of Sigma Kappa. She was a lifetime member of Alki Church since 1941 and this is where she met Bob. Together they built a life of love, laughter, family, and commitment to their heritage.
Inspired by her love for the neighborhood where she was raised, Ada gathered stories about the area and the people; “The combination of these places on the land and in the woods beside the bay was vital to our lives …. Most of us who went to Alki School were firmly grounded … when we grew up and left Alki, we knew who we were, where we belonged and where we wanted to return.”
10:41 PM: We’ve watched solstice and equinox sunsets with her, and now a Mars landing – West Seattle’s NASA Solar System Ambassador Alice Enevoldsen presided as a crowd of more than 40 at The Kenney (WSB sponsor) just watched the NASA feed bring word that Curiosity had landed successfully. There was applause here to mirror the applause from Mission Control; we’ll have video shortly (added – here’s the video):
(First big round of applause is about :45 in)
A lucky few went away with buttons to commemorate the occasion – reading “7 minutes of terror”:
That’s in honor of the nailbiting interval between its entry to Mars’s atmosphere, and touchdown.
10:59 PM UPDATE: Almost half an hour after touchdown now, and at least a dozen people are lingering to talk about it.
(The NASA feed says there was so much interest, two of their websites crashed.) Back in June at Alice’s summer-solstice-watch event, Lego models of the lander were on display, and they’re here too:
The Solar System Ambassador program (explained here) has more than 500 volunteers around the country, including Alice, who has been part of it since 2010 (here’s her listing on the NASA website).
EARLY MORNING P.S. Another new image has since come in from Mars – see it here.
The trailer is for its PBS premiere this fall … but you can see the award-winning film “Love Free or Die” in West Seattle next week. St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church plans a screening, followed by a community forum on marriage equality, at 6:30 pm Thursday, August 9th. Read on for the invitation:Read More
We have news of a local gold medalist – but it’s got nothing to do with the Olympics! West Seattle High School student Philip Nokeo is home from the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America national conference in Florida with the gold medal for Applied Technology. He earned the trip to nationals by winning that same medal in statewide competition. Philip and teacher Sarah Orton (with him in the photo) traveled with 20 students and staff from elsewhere in the city. Teacher says they were among 7,000 students at the conference, and of course there was time for side trips to Disney World and Universal Studios parks, as well as numerous conference events on which Philip will brief his fellow students in the WSHS chapter next school year. Congratulations!
(MONDAY UPDATE: A medal for Ginger’s grandson! Scroll down …)
26-year-old Olympic athlete Nick Thoman is from Ohio – but you can call him an honorary West Seattleite if you’re looking for specific people to cheer during the 2012 Summer Olympics, since his grandmother Ginger Brewer lives on Alki. She headed to London a few days ago to join other family members there. We’ve heard from Ginger before regarding Nick’s swimming success; a neighbor of hers told us he made it to the Olympics, so we e-mailed her, and heard back from daughter-in-law Lauri, who says Nick’s in the 100m backstroke “and may also swim in the 4x100m medley relay.” Lauri says those competition dates are:
July 29 – 100 m prelims
July 30 – 100 m finals
Aug 3 – 4x100m medley relay prelims
Aug 4 – 4x100m medley relay finals
She adds, “He has the third fastest Olympic qualifying time in the world for the 100m backstroke, so he is definitely in the running to bring home some hardware, although we are just super excited that he is even going! He currently holds the world record in the 100m short-course backstroke. The Olympics is a long-course pool. Short course is a 25 meter pool, long course is a 50 meter pool.” Nick is 26 and has been swimming since he was 4, Lauri says, adding, “Go Team USA!!” (P.S. Nick of course has an official “fan page” on Facebook. Here’s the lineup for his preliminary competition at 11 am Sunday, London time.)
SUNDAY MORNING UPDATE: Nick finished first in his heat very early this morning (results here), and is in the second heat at the semifinals tonight, 8:28 pm London time.
SUNDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE: And … he’s in Monday’s finals!
MONDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE: Nick scored silver today – here are the results (thanks to Ben for sharing the link in the comment section). He is also scheduled to be part of the USA relay team in competition later this week.
Evergreen Tang Soo Do Academy student Tamela Thomas has won her third world championship, reports the academy’s Master Steve Elmore (with her in the photo above). Thomas, 52, is one of nine students who went with Elmore to the World Tang Soo Do Association‘s world championships in Greensboro, North Carolina, last weekend, an every-two-years event at which more than 1,600 people from 34 countries competed. He says Thomas became Senior Female Black Belt World Champion “by winning gold medals in weapons, forms, and free fighting. This was her 3rd consecutive world title but her first in the black belt division.” (Back in 2008, we mentioned this Seattle Weekly story about her first world title.) He also reports that the recent death of the association’s founder, Grandmaster Jae C. Shin (reported here), loomed large over the event, with a memorial service following the ribbon-cutting for a new WTSDA in nearby Burlington, N.C.
That’s what it said on longtime community activist/volunteer Pete Spalding‘s birthday cake last night at the Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor), where wife Kerry Hughes organized a surprise party:
Back in their home neighborhood of Pigeon Point, one of the trademark signposts held a tribute:
Pete has led the Pigeon Point Neighborhood Council multiple times, as well as chairing the citywide Parks and Green Spaces Levy OVersight Committee, serving on the board of the West Seattle Food Bank, and countless other councils/groups/projects. His awards include being honored as this year’s “Westsider of the Year” by the WS Chamber of Commerce.
Just got the news, and that photo, from a proud Laura James – best known here as “Diver Laura,” who has often shared video of amazing underwater sights as well as news of cleanups on sea and shore: She won the Cox Conserves Heroes award, which means a total of $10,000 for Sustainable West Seattle, her chosen nonprofit! We first told you in June that she was a finalist in this year’s contest. Then, voting ensued – till one week ago – and today, Laura was announced as the winner. (She was the only West Seattleite among the finalists, who are all shown here; the other two will each earn a $2,500 grant for their chosen nonprofit.)
(Laura with Cate White, Sustainable WS Tox-Ick fighter)
ADDED 9:49 PM: We asked Laura for a comment. Her reply:
A huge thank you to KIRO 7, Cox Enterprises and the Trust for Public Land for helping fight the Tox-Ick Monster! Many many thanks to my Friends and Family – Facebook or otherwise – who voted, My dive buddies who make the dives possible; a special thank you to Kelle Fitzpatrick for nominating me; and West Seattle Blog for your relentless support! I could not have done it without all of you!
“Tox-Ick,” you might recall, is the “face” of the Sustainable WS toxic-runoff-fighting campaign (read about the “monster” here and about simple actions YOU can take to fight it).
ADDED THURSDAY MORNING: Here’s the official announcement, now published on the Cox Conserves Heroes website.
Some have asked if the Paddle to Squaxin tribal canoes are still on Alki, where they landed Monday afternoon as a stop along the journey to the big annual gathering, to be held in the Olympia area this year. We went back over to Alki to be sure we had the correct answer: Yes. Departures aren’t planned until tomorrow morning, when they will head to the next stop, hosted by the Puyallup Tribe; the Muckleshoots are the hosts here – all the stops are on this map. (Our coverage from Monday is here and here.)
ADDED: Stately sunset view with a canoe’s bow in silhouette, from David Hutchinson:
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
More than two dozen women who own/run businesses in West Seattle made a slew of new friends Monday morning.
They gathered at Mind Unwind in the Admiral District for the first major meeting of West Seattle Women in Charge.
We reported on the new group last month; it’s the brainchild of Alki Arts‘ Diane Venti (below left), now collaborating with Mind Unwind‘s Krystal Kelley (below right):
After a pilot organizational meeting, they launched a Facebook page, set the date for this meeting, and got more than three dozen RSVP’s. Twenty-six women showed up Monday to talk and nosh and listen, to admire, maybe even to conspire.
Though many didn’t know each other before, in many cases, they knew of each other. As each in turn introduced herself and talked about her business, there were oohs and aahs.
“What a great group of gals!” someone exclaimed after the introductions ended, and shortly before another round of conversation began.
Here’s a lost bunny who doesn’t really qualify for the WSB Pets page … so we’re showing it here. Markus explains:
We went to the West Seattle Parade this weekend and unfortunately lost our daughter’s beloved stuffed animal bunny. I thought the bunny made it home in my backpack, but others saw her take it out while I wasn’t looking. :( We posted some flyers around Hinds & California where we sat for the parade. … If there is any way to help spread the word, our little one is still asking where she is…
If you have any ideas about the bunny’s whereabouts, e-mail the bunny’s companion’s dad at Markus@rocketgraphicsinc.com.
West Seattle’s most prolific breast-cancer-fighting fundraiser, Tracy Dart – who as you probably know also is a 3-time survivor – just accepted a big donation from the West Seattle Eagles Auxiliary, as her Team Tracy gets ready for this year’s strong>Breast Cancer 3-Day – the sixth one for her. The Eagles’ Madame Trustee Kristina Todd shared the news, with the photos we’re publishing here: Tracy got a check for $500, she says, explaining: “As part of their charity fundraising efforts, the ladies’ auxiliary had raised the money through benefit dinners and various fundraising activities over the past year. This is a perfect example of the Eagle motto of ‘people helping people’ – in particular, within our neighborhood of West Seattle.”
The Seattle-area 3-Day is less than two months away, September 14-16. If you’d like to donate to it via Team Tracy, just go here.)
(WSB photo from 2007 West Seattle Grand Parade)
WSB’er Kathleen just sent e-mail to make sure we had seen the sad news that Chris Wedes, best known as J.P. Patches, has died, at the age of 84 – just one day after this year’s West Seattle Grand Parade, a parade in which he had appeared more than a few times, with his final appearance in 2010. Here’s a short story on The Seattle Times (WSB partner).
Checking WSB archives: In February 2008, West Seattle’s then-State Senator, now County Councilmember, Joe McDermott introduced a resolution honoring Mr. Wedes on the 50th anniversary of his TV show.
That picture was shared from Olympia by then-Sen. McDermott, and featured him with Mr. Wedes – who was not in his J.P. makeup – and with McDermott’s cousin Emmett Blake (“Patches Pals and West Seattleites both,” the then-senator noted at the time).
Three months later, in full J.P. Patches regalia, Mr. Wedes appeared at the Admiral Theater – here’s our coverage (with video). By then, he was already fighting the cancer that has now taken his life.
So far as we can find in our five-plus-years of archives, his final appearances in West Seattle were in 2010. He was at the May 2010 Westwood Village Street Fair. We covered his appearance, but the best photo came later, from Karen, whose friend Kristi got him to pose with her pugs:
He also rode in the 2010 West Seattle Grand Parade:
(July 2010 photo by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
ADDED 7:15 PM: The Times has now published a full obituary – read it here.
One more note from here: Back in May, Mr. Wedes’s wife Joan Wedes was an honored guest at the dedication of the new South Transfer Station in South Park. Since JP Patches was also known affectionately as “Mayor of the City Dump,” the city promised a tribute to him at the new building that is about as close as you get to a “dump” these days. (The dedication got little to no coverage in local media [us included] because it was overshadowed by breaking news – shortly after the ceremony ended, Ian Stawicki‘s deadly rampage began.) She’s at right in this photo we took during the dedication:
Though you can’t tell since our photo is a wide shot, Councilmember Jean Godden, sitting next to Mrs. Wedes, was wearing a J.P. Patches button.
8:14 PM: Another West Seattle-raised politician who was a Patches pal, King County Executive Dow Constantine, remembers J.P.:
Several generations of Seattle kids owe a bit of their personality and sense of humor to J.P. Patches. Chris Wedes, sidekick Bob Newman, and director Joe Towey created a remarkable world of improvised comedy that enthralled children and, with an occasional wink or double-entendre, let parents in on the backstage hilarity.
I knew this day would come, but cannot believe that it has. Good night, sweet clown.
ADDED 8:19 PM: Cynthia Reid, who knew Mr. Wedes for many years, also was responsible for bringing him to the West Seattle parade – 1996 was the very first time. She told us, “Even though Chris has been so ill, I just wasn’t prepared for the news today.”
We contacted her after reading her Facebook comment about his death, in which she explained that she was just 5 when Chris Wedes came into her family’s life, visiting her cousin at Children’s Hospital while he was recovering from open-heart surgery. “They told us Craiger wasn’t going to make it after his open-heart surgery, he’d just given up. J.P. came and spent the whole day with him, and even brought his favorite treat, Fudgesicles! Craig found the strength that day to pull thru and we’ve felt indebted to Chris ever since. … Chris was told countless times how much he helped kids who were going thru a hard time with their families. Divorce, abuse, etc, he knew he was the only constant in their lives. And every year during the parade these folks would approach him and thank him. Every story meant so much to him. He KNEW how important it was to the kids, all the kids, and especially the ones who were hurting. Please know how much he cared about each and every kid out there.”
ADDED: Patches Pal Jeff Jones shared memories too, and a photo:
A huge shoutout to my great Patches Pal friend Eric Wiseman for having JP as his special guest for BBQ a few years ago.
I have a Boris S. Wart second-meanest man in the world t-shirt my Mom gave me back in the day.
Coaching girls’ hoops at the rec center, the kids would always ask me who the meanest man was, I said me!
The … picture is me asking JP who the meanest man is, he said, Jonesy, it’s the Principal.
A memorial is planned July 29th for Bob Nohl, a native West Seattleite. From his family:
Robert Ross Nohl
Born May 20, 1942
Died July 13, 2012
Robert Ross Nohl, 70, passed away peacefully on July 13th after a valiant battle with cancer.
Bob was born in West Seattle to Robert G. and Dorothy Nohl on May 20, 1942. He was a proud graduate in the West Seattle High School class of 1960. He then served in the US Army in Taiwan. Bob loved being a commercial fisherman from Alaska to San Francisco before he started a landscape business in the Seattle area.
In his heart, Bob was always a farmer. Bob and his wife Colleen loved to travel and relished in the culture and diversity they discovered. Bob loved people and loved to talk.
He had a gift that made one feel as if they were the only person in the world. He made everyone feel welcome. Bob was happiest when he was entertaining friends with his excellent cooking in his gourmet kitchen. He always loved a party. Building an off-the-grid home in Port Townsend was his passion for the last 15 years.
He died peacefully, surrounded by family and friends. Bob had many friends because he was such a welcoming, kind, and loving man. He will be missed by all who knew him. People far and wide will miss his smile, sense of humor and his friendly, easy-going manner.
A memorial will be held July 29, 2012, at the West Seattle Golf Course, 1:00 – 4:00.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations in Bob’s name to the West Seattle Food Bank.
(WSB publishes obituaries at no charge; send text and photo to editor@westseattleblog.com)
Jane Church Lange, 94, mother of longtime West Seattleite Kip Lange, will be remembered this Saturday at St. John’s Episcopal Church. From her family:
Jane Church Lange passed away peacefully on the morning of Friday, July 13th in Seattle, Washington. Jane had a zest for life from birth to death. She grew up during the depression era with her sister Peggy, and brothers Dwight, Fred and Floyd.
A beautiful and feisty young lady, Jane had many prospective beaus. She married Leo A. Lange on March 29, 1937. They moved to Bellingham and then Sequim as Leo started his teaching career. They settled in North Seattle where Jane and Leo raised Laurale, Kip and Marcia. When Leo retired, he and Jane moved permanently to Carlyon Beach which became the place for numerous family gatherings.
A devoted wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, and friend Jane will be fondly remembered for her humor and caring heart. She was preceded in death by her husband of 62 years, Leo A. Lange. She is survived by her children Laurale Lange (Jean), Leo ‘Kip’ Lange (Sheila), and Marcia Rugg (Morrie); her grandchildren Janni, Jon, Jimmy, Cheryl, Jay, Elliott and Lance; 11 great grandchildren, nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews; the daughter and son of her heart Marilyn Kettle and Bill Rideout; and her adopted Tam family.
Funeral services will be held at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church, 3050 California Avenue SW, on Saturday, July 21, 2012. The viewing will start at 2:00 pm, memorial service at 3:00 pm, and the reception will immediately follow. Please visit washelli.com/obits for an online memorial and to send condolences to the family. In lieu of flowers, the family request donations be given to the American Heart Association in Jane’s name.
(WSB publishes obituaries at no charge; send text and photo to editor@westseattleblog.com)
The first wedding announcement we’ve ever been asked to publish – but hey, they’re news too! From the bride:
Jolene Humphrey and Sanjay Robert are happy to announce that they are now Mr. and Mrs. Sanjay Robert!
They exchanged vows on Saturday, July 14, 2012, in a small service at their church.
The happy couple are residents of West Seattle and attend church at Hope Lutheran.
You are likely to see them at Lincoln Park with the kids, Kelci, Zach, and Ravi – or walking together hand in hand around the city.
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