William H. Hutsinpiller, 81, who served as a parks and recreation director in Yakima, Bellingham, Renton and King County, on March 7, 2019, in Bellingham.
Class Notes
Class Notes include professional accomplishments, awards, retirements, weddings, obituaries and other news about Western Washington University alumni; they’re gathered from published reports and communication from alumni themselves.
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Obituaries
William H. Hutsinpiller - 1962
Jean Lois Copeland - 1961
Jean Lois Copeland, 106, of Anacortes, on Dec. 8, 2018.
Joe Stottlebower - 1959
Joe Stottlebower, 91, a Korean War veter-an and retired teacher and coach, on March 1, 2019, in Eugene, Oregon.
Frank E. Handy - 1959
Frank E. Handy, 88, a Korean War veteran and retired teach-er and coach at R.A Long High School in Longview, on Dec. 22, 2018.
Diane Lochaby - 1958
Diane Lochaby, 81, a retired teacher in the South Whidbey School District, on July 9, 2018.
Berniece Claire “Bernie” Leaf - 1958
Berniece Claire “Bernie” Leaf, 92, a retired teacher in Mount Vernon and Sedro-Woolley, on Jan. 22, 2019, on Camano Island.
Ernest R. “Ernie” Eerkes - 1957
Ernest R. “Ernie” Eerkes, 80, a retired administrator for the Oak Harbor School District, on Nov. 21, 2018.
Eugene C. Thramer - 1955
Eugene C. Thramer, 90, retired principal of Harmony Elementary School in Whatcom County, on Jan. 24, 2019.
Norman Richardson - 1955
Norman Richardson, 95, a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II who later worked as a teacher and coach in Olympia and in construction for more than 30 years, on Oct. 18, 2018.
Jack L. Bowman - 1954
Jack L. Bowman, 86, a musician and retired pharmaceutical executive who with his wife Jo Ann endowed the Bowman Distinguished Professorship in Leadership at Western, on Nov. 2, 2018, on Lummi Island.
Billie Jean (Garling) Ershig - 1952
Billie Jean (Garling) Ershig, 78, who with her husband Herb helped establish the Ershig Assistive Technology Resource Center at Western, on Nov. 10, 2018.
Thomas C. Graham - 1976
Thomas C. Graham, 65, a longtime accountant in Marysville, on March 2, 2019.
Patricia Pilik - 1975
Patricia Pilik, 65, on Oct. 19, 2018, in Mount Vernon.
John C. “Jack” Street - FRN
John C. “Jack” Street, 87, a Mongolian linguist who donated significantly to Western’s extensive Mongolia Collection, on Aug. 6, 2017, in Janesville, Wisconsin.
Tom Sherwood - FAC
Tom Sherwood, 81, an artist and former assistant professor of aesthetics, art history and the philosophy of religion at Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies in the 1970s, on Feb. 7, 2019, in Bellingham.
Joan Karolyn (Sargent) Sherwood - ADM
Joan Karolyn (Sargent) Sherwood, 84, former vice president and dean of Student Affairs at Western, on Dec. 9, 2018, in Wichita, Kansas.
Ronald Savey - FAC
Ronald Savey, 80, associate professor emeritus and chair of the Accounting Department from 1976 to 2000, on May 27, 2018, in Bellingham.
David Rystrom - FAC
David Rystrom, 73, who taught finance and economics in the College of Business and Economics and was a supporter of the arts and athletics at WWU, on Feb. 21, 2019. A memorial scholarship is being created in his name for Western’s Arts Enterprise and Cultural Innovation Program.
Kurt W. Moerschner - FAC
Kurt W. Moerschner, 96, a former German professor, on Nov. 3, 2018.
Sebastian Mendes - FAC
Sebastian Mendes, 69, a professor of art and head of the sculpture program who had taught at Western since 2001, on April 26, 2018. Much of his art was inspired by his grandfather, Aristides de Sousa Mendes, a Portuguese diplomat who helped thousands of refugees flee the Nazis during World War II.