West Seattle, Washington
30 Sunday
A memorial service is planned September 24th for Brian Zombro, whose sister Kara shares this tribute:
Brian Zombro died unexpectedly on September 4, 2011 at the age of 30. Brian was a lifelong West Seattle resident who was a son, brother, and a great friend. He will be missed by many.
Brian was born on June 17, 1981. He attended Schmitz Park Elementary, Madison Middle School, and West Seattle High School. He was also a proud member of Boy Scout Troop 282. He was a skilled carpenter and electrician and a gifted musician and artist.
With his outgoing personality and ability to make everyone around him feel accepted, Brian was well known around West Seattle. Anyone who met him would know his big smile, easy laugh, and willingness to offer a helping hand to anyone in need.
Brian is survived by his mother Janet, father Jim (Nancy), sisters Kara (Louis) Erickson and Leah, maternal grandmother Betty (Andy) Nielson, his cat Blue (arguably his favorite family member) and his best friend and honorary brother Tony Hamilton. He is remembered and loved by numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins and close friends he considered family. He is preceded in death by maternal grandfather Stan Miller and paternal grandparents Ann and Walter Zombro.
Brian will be interred at Forest Lawn Cemetery as his final resting place. The family will be hosting a public memorial on September 24, 2011 at 3pm at The Georgetown Stables at 980 South Nebraska Street. For further information, please contact Kara Erickson at klzombro@yahoo.com.
“They shall not grow old as we who are left to grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn… In our hearts and in our minds, their devotion and acts will always be remembered. To us, they have found immortality.”
(Atop the counter @ Red Cup; WSB photo, added Monday afternoon)
From Tricia at Red Cup Espresso in The Junction:
Red Cup will be accepting donations in support of one of our original baristas. Alex Paulsen Rice, who was in a bicycle accident last Thursday, shattered his clavicle and right shoulder, and is unable to work and pay bills. We would like to match every dollar donated from 9-12-11 to 9-17-11. We will have a donation box inside the shop on our counter as well as a card for friends and customers to sign.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Most know that pink is the official color for breast-cancer awareness.
If somebody asked you which cancer-awareness campaign uses purple … would you know the answer?
Many more people in the area do, because of Prudential Northwest Realty‘s 48-year-old Dawn “DJ” Jump, who is being treated for, and working to raise awareness of, pancreatic cancer.
If you haven’t heard much about pancreatic cancer, you’re not alone. (I hadn’t, until my mother was diagnosed with it 13 years ago.) Not to imply any cancer is a “good” cancer, but cancer of the pancreas is an especially “bad” one. Because of where the pancreas sits in your digestive system, it’s seldom diagnosed early, and the tumor often is too close to vital arteries/other organs for doctors to safely remove. As a result, the 5-year survival rate is 5 percent. But somebody’s gotta be in that five percent – so in an expectation that she’ll be part of it, DJ is undergoing chemotherapy now, shrinking her tumor to get to an operable point (with surgery already scheduled for December), and fighting with so much spirit, her support website is called “CancerDiva.com.”
Right now, her co-workers want to get the word out that you can support her by buying tickets ASAP for an upcoming benefit – it’s in early October, but they need to know by next week how many people can come.
That’s not the only way they’re supporting her – read on to see one vivid example (and to find out more about the benefit and other ways to help):Read More
A West Seattle 11-year-old is at Harborview Medical Center tonight, recovering from a terrifying close call out on the ocean coast. Peter Dyer was rescued from beneath a half-ton log in the surf in Pacific Beach, thanks to help from Issaquah resident John Atzbach, who was nearby when Peter got trapped under the log. KING 5 told the story tonight; see it here, with video. We contacted Peter’s mom Toddy Dyer by e-mail; she tells WSB, “He is going to be 100% fine because of the actions by John. He saved Peter’s life. … We hope Pete comes home sometime this weekend. … I feel lucky, loved, blessed, and fortunate to have this ending. Peter fought that log, John did what he did, and I smile that there are people like John in this world.”
Story and photos by Jason Grotelueschen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
“Just a man and a van.”
That’s the tagline from the website ILiveInMyVan.com, published by writer and “motivational speaker” Jay Pfaffman, who is in West Seattle this weekend as the guest of Seaview resident Alison Keith (both are pictured above).
Pfaffman departed Knoxville, Tennessee, in early May, and has been driving westward ever since. Keith had never met Pfaffman prior to this weekend but was an early fan of his site — “he’s a great writer, and the blog is really fun,” she says — and she invited him to come to West Seattle during his journey, which he did. Keith and about 20 of her neighbors threw a party for Pfaffman tonight, and we stopped by to chat and to get a look at “Walden,” his trusty Volkswagen Westfalia van.
Why embark on such a journey?
Westwood Village Barnes & Noble says it’s the only author appearance they have each year – and it’s a biggie: Saturday afternoon brought the annual visit of multi-million-selling West Seattle-based author Terry Brooks, and another standing-room-only crowd, more than 50 fans. As has been the case with his past visits, Brooks touted his newest book – in this case, “Legends of Shannara: The Measure of the Magic” – and read from a work in progress. But this time, he revealed, he’s breaking with tradition. Instead of just releasing one book next year, as is his usual pace, he’s publishing three in the span of a year, in honor of his 35th anniversary as an author. Brooks says they will be released in August 2012, March 2012, and August 2013, and will deal with “the future of Shannara.” “If you don’t buy these books, I’ll never do it again,” joked Brooks, who is 67, but said later he hopes to write for another 35 years: “I always thought I’d live forever.”
Next year also might bring some other big news for Brooks fans: He says a “new (movie) studio has taken an option” on his Magic Kingdom series, and there should be word in about a year if that, unlike some past movie options on his work, will really result in a film. Meantime, there are more photos from Brooks’ hometown appearance in this update on his website.
(Photo courtesy Restita DeJesus)
Third from left, that’s Restita DeJesus from the Seattle Wushu Center north of Morgan Junction, inducted into the martial-arts Masters Hall of Fame in Southern California on Saturday night. DeJesus says she has explored martial arts for more than 30 years, including Tai Chi, Wushu, Karate, Kajukenbo-Wun Hop Kuen Do, Eskrima, Spanish knife fighting, Japanese archery, and Japanese swordsmanship, and is a two-time National Champion and 2001 International Tai Chi champion. That’s not all – she also is an aficionado of bullwhip artistry, sport target blowgunning, and slingshots, and she offers free lessons in these activities.
A memorial service and reception are planned this Sunday for longtime West Seattleite Debbie Numoto, whose family shared this tribute:
Deborah Dawn Numoto passed peacefully on Saturday, August 13, 2011 from cancer, at the age of 49. She is survived by her husband Phil Numoto, father Harold Willard; mother Janice Mize; children; Jorge Muratalla (Ginny), Tami Oden (Tony), and grandson A.J.; sister Sharon Nark (Joel), nephew Conrad and niece Julia; Uncle Chuck Mize (Kathy) and Aunt Nadine Geister (Don). Jorge Muratalla, James Sansburn and family. She was preceded in death by her grandparents and her good friend Steve. Our family and her friends miss her so much. It is too early for her to join the angels.
Debbie was born in Yakima, WA and was raised in West Seattle. She graduated from West Seattle High School in 1980. She has been a manager/gift buyer at West Seattle’s Northwest Art and Frame for 26 years. Many have stopped there to enjoy special gifts to share with others.
Her passion was creativity and art, and her compositions expressed her love of nature, flowers, the ocean, and her connectedness with special friends; there were many.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
“Goodbye” is a good thing at Family Promise of Seattle.
They are about to bid farewell to another one of the newly homeless families they have helped since reopening their unique community-partnership shelter program two months ago.
This Friday, though, they hope to say “hello” to you – and your family – as Grammy-nominated musician Justin Roberts (with his Not Ready for Naptime Players) comes to West Seattle for a benefit concert. A big fall benefit is on the drawing board, too, we learned in a conversation with FP’s executivedirector Norman Schwamberg, to see how things have been going since they reopened.
(Photo courtesy Pokémon World Championships)
6:42 PM: This’ll be a great “what I did on my summer vacation” story: We mentioned last night that David Cohen, a 16-year-old student at Seattle Lutheran High School in West Seattle, was in the final 16 at the Pokémon card-game world championships in San Diego. This afternoon, he won the title in the Masters’ division (click the tab for that division to see his progress). Here’s a photo from the official website.
ADDED 11:03 PM: We are reminded in the comment section that West Seattle was home to a world champ four years ago too – Jeremy Scharff-Kim.
16-year-old Seattle Lutheran High School student David Cohen has made it to the final 16 in the masters’ bracket of the Pokémon trading-card-game world championships. That word from SLHS’s Bil Hood; here’s the bracket. The final matches are tomorrow.
Shared by Karen:
Longtime West Seattle resident David Brachtenbach passed away on August 9th in Federal Heights, Colorado.
Those who knew David best will remember him for his kind heart, irreverent sense of humor, creative intellect and love for his dogs. He will be missed by his family and friends and those who saw him on his regular walks around West Seattle. Born in 1962 in Selah, Washington, David lived most of his life in Seattle. He was loved and will be missed. Donations in his name to the Seattle Humane Society are appreciated.
(WSB publishes obituaries at no charge; send text and photos to editor@westseattleblog.com)
The arts/crafts fair at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor) till 3 pm today has a story at every table. Just walking through the front yard, you’ll find it – like Sydni Smith and “Charlie the Monster”:
Sydni’s buddy has had some hefty medical bills. So she’s raising money to get them handled. And she’s getting help from her friends – like Helen Johnson, who’s selling her crocheted creations in public for the first time:
You might also know Helen from the new West Seattle Coffee House at 35th and Graham (which opened a month and a half ago). Take a close look at her crocheted items – which she says she’s never sold publicly before! – like the “infinity scarf” (no end) or the kids’ scarf that has magnetic fasteners. Her Yoda cap was sported by artist Barbara Noonan:
Barbara lives in Madison Park now but says she’ll always consider West Seattle home – “it gets in your blood.” And that goes for the trio of best friends who wanted to tell us their story:
Sitting in the sun on the C & P front porch were, from left, Nancy Biggs Lind, Nancy Capelouto Ridden, and Marilyn Brandon Moy. They have been best friends since 8th grade at Denny Middle School – the old building, where demolition is just wrapping up – and went on to Chief Sealth, where they were all Class of 1965. Their kids all grew up here too. But perhaps the best story of all in the front yard is that of Sheila Lengle:
Besides showing and selling her own work, Sheila will show you a book of photos including one that shows the Craftsman house that is home to C & P – when it was her ecCollective Gallery (she lived there, too). But go find out for yourself. Till 3 pm, 5612 California SW, just south of SW Findlay (and yes, there are artists/craftspeople inside too!).
A postscript on Thursday’s Admiral Safeway grand opening: If you saw our first story in the morning, you’ll remember the bench on the stairway landing in honor of 41-year employee Barb Fuda, lost to cancer while the new store was being built. The photo shown above is one of the many historic photos now hung around the new store, and it’s right by “Barb’s bench.” Safeway’s Sara Osborne says Ms. Fuda’s husband Bob came to the new store on Thursday afternoon: “… and he looked up at this photo that is hung RIGHT NEXT to her bench and he said, ‘That’s Harry.’ We asked, ‘Who’s Harry?’. He said, ‘Barb’s dad.’ He apparently worked as the Admiral Safeway’s meat manager for years. We had no idea when we chose or hung the photo.” (Bob left a comment about this, too.)
Last night, we reported that Village Green Perennial Nursery owner Vera Johnson had been booked for an MSNBC TV interview this morning regarding her foreclosure fight against Bank of America. MSNBC’s Veronica Delacruz interviewed her live a little over an hour ago, and we just found the clip online; it’s embedded above.
(Photos by Ellen Cedergreen for WSB)
Summer school can be something to cheer about. Just ask the Z Unit, one of ten groups formed from among more than 100 students for a section of the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor) “Level 9” program, six weeks of academic enrichment for students going into ninth grade this fall at Chief Sealth International, West Seattle, and Franklin High Schools. We caught up with them on Wednesday at South Seattle Community College‘s Brockey Center, where, as part of a Level 9 project, there was a trade show-style event to showcase “inventions” by the groups, which had to develop business plans and solicit “investors.” More ahead:Read More
Two quick updates in the ongoing saga of Village Green Perennial Nursery owner Vera Johnson‘s fight against foreclosure, after what she says has been months of getting the runaround from Bank of America: First, WSB commenters had suggested this story deserves national attention – and it looks like some is on the way: Vera tells WSB she has been asked to do a national cable-network interview, tomorrow morning around 8 am with MSNBC, from a downtown Seattle studio. We don’t have an exact time yet when this is likely to air, but we’re working to find out. Second, the date for a community benefit/rally on Vera’s behalf has just changed to August 31st, still at 5 pm at Big Al Brewing in White Center. (If you haven’t seen it yet, here’s our Tuesday story about her trip downtown to get a face-to-face meeting with B of A.)
Gordon Prinster shares that photo and this report:
My 11-year-old son, Callum Prinster, pedalled out of our Admiral driveway with me on July 5th. On Sunday, 1732 miles and 28 campsites later, we arrived at the Mexican border. When asked what he’s going to do when he gets home today, he said “Sit on the couch, make YouTube videos … and NOT ride my bike.”
We sent Gordon a few followup questions and will add to this story if/when we receive replies!
ADDED EARLY WEDNESDAY: Replies!
We’ve done shorter trips the last couple years – BC’s Gulf Islands and down to Portland – but nothing like this. We initially set off for San Francisco, and we did spend a couple days there, but then we sorta just did a Forrestt Gump and kept on going. It’s probably obvious what a proud dad I am.
This was really a selfish pleasure trip, but if anybody is at all compelled we encourage them to visit the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation at pbtfus.org and make a little pledge. If they do that, and let us know they did (gprinster@yahoo.com). We’ll send them a link to the dumbest videolog ever!
… and no, it’s NOT the kind of date she’s trying to fight off. We’ve been reporting on Vera Johnson‘s fight to keep Bank of America from foreclosing on her home and Village Green Perennial Nursery business west of White Center – and tomorrow, she’s going downtown for a face-to-face meeting with a Bank of America manager. She has a list of questions for that rep – questions she’s been trying to get the bank to answer for a long time. And she also has another list – thousands of names of people who have signed the online petition she started at Change.org when she first went public with her plight four weeks ago. (Here’s our original story.)
As of our last check, that list stood at almost 9,600 – if you haven’t signed it yet, you might consider doing so if you support her cause, as she’s close to the 10,000 milestone; find it here. Vera also is continuing on her quest to help others get information to help them in similar fights. Most importantly, she says, insist on a face-to-face meeting with somebody at your bank – exactly what she is doing now. In a support-group meeting she hosted with a legal expert a week ago, other points of advice included getting media attention – “make it loud” – and, don’t keep your personal bank accounts in the same bank as your mortgage. Plus, fight every step of the way – fight the foreclosure, fight any attempt to be evicted. And keep an eye on the online records involving your property; be sure you know the parcel number – which you can get through the county’s online parcel finder – and search the records to see what is filed regarding it, just to make sure there’s not something going on that you haven’t heard about.
(Photos by Beth Grotelueschen for WSB)
The guest of honor was resplendent in purple, and bathed in love and support, as the “We Heart Tracy Dart” bash filled The Bridge on Sunday night, to rustle up some financial assistance for somebody who has given so much even while fighting a three-round battle against breast cancer. (With Tracy in the top photo are Trudy Muller and Chad Johnson.) Lovely night, so many were out on The Bridge’s spacious patio:
Back inside, colorful bags represented each item on the long list of donated prizes waiting to be won during drawings.
” Also donated: Live music – In Cahoots opened the night (Explone was the other scheduled band):
You can still pitch in to help Tracy, by donating online via PayPal (you don’t need a PP account – you can just use a credit card). As explained on the official We Heart Tracy Dart website, “100% of funds donated go to a trust fund that will be used to directly pay for things like prescriptions, insurance premiums, utilities and rent. Meanwhile, besides going through cancer treatment, Tracy also is preparing for the next 3-Day Walk with her ever-growing “Team Tracy” in mid-September; she’s also chronicling that on her personal website.
ADDED 9:32 AM: Co-organizer Lisa Dawson says as of first thing this morning, the fundraiser had brought in more than $6,300, with online donations still coming in. More than 50 prizes were donated, and an estimated 200+ people attended the party. Lisa’s summary: “It was a great night!”
Out of the WSB inbox, from Robyn W:
Around 8:30 tonight, I was driving south on Fauntleroy near the Fairmount playfield when a toddler from an apartment complex suddenly ran into the street chasing after a ball. No adult was seen coming after the child and he made it all the away across the street. I was completely stunned and pulled over. Luckily, the driver behind me also stopped his car, and went on to stop the traffic in both directions, retrieve the little boy and bring him back to his home. I didn’t have a chance to speak to this Good Samaritan, but in case he reads your blog, I just wanted to thank him for what he did. While I hope my child would never run into the street, I am glad there are good folks in West Seattle keeping an eye out for children’s safety.
When Food Network re-broadcasts the “Iron Chef America” season 9 finale today, you’ll see a West Seattleite challenging an Iron Chef – Chef Wayne Johnson (executive chef of Andaluca downtown) taking on Michael Symon. The show is on at (updated) 5 pm and 11 pm; it was taped in New York months ago, but “Chef Wayne” was sworn to secrecy regarding even the ingredient he had to tackle. (Since the show already aired several days ago, if you don’t mind spoilers, you can find out who won, and what ingredient was involved, by reading this Puget Sound Business Journal story.) He’s been at the helm of Andaluca for more than 11 years, with honors including being named one of the “Top Chefs in America” by Black Enterprise Magazine; he’s also vice president of the nonprofit Culinary Wonders USA.
5:57 PM NOTE: If you see this on Saturday evening – there’s one more showing ahead (confirmed with program guide), 11 pm.
A memorial service is planned tomorrow for 86-year-old Chris Holm, one of West Seattle’s real-life “Rosie the Riveters.” (We featured her in Christopher Boffoli‘s report on one of the local “Rosie” gatherings in 2009.) Her family wrote this obituary:
Clarissa Elizabeth Holm (Sherbon)
September 23, 1924 – July 31, 2011
Chris Holm passed away unexpectedly while leading the social-hour discussion at her West Seattle Church on Sunday, July 31, 2011. Chris was a vibrant woman, still living life to its fullest and enjoying her many day-to-day activities with zest and utter enthusiasm. She was a beloved mother, grandmother, great grandmother, wife, sister and friend. Everyone was surprised by her death and feel deeply saddened to lose the cornerstone, centerpiece, rock and foundation for our family and her community of friends.
Chris was born in Sioux Falls, SD, moving immediately to Walnut Grove, MN. She lived the quintessential “Little House on the Prairie” life, growing up in the famous Olsen store, working hard on the farm, and spending any free time playing on the banks of Plum Creek. She moved to Seattle and in her early twenties during WWII and worked hard at Boeing as one of the famous Rosie the Riveters.
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