Obituaries

James H. Ellis

A long time resident of West Seattle, passed away on August 2, 2007. He is survived by his son, Michael, two brothers, Wilfred and Jack, and three sisters, Lois, Elaine and Grace.

Catholic graveside services were held August 9, 2007 at Washington Memorial Park and Cemetery.

Gary H. Gribble

Passed away July 29 at the age of 66. He was born in Seattle. He graduated from West Seattle High School.

Gary had a life-long love of baseball. A teenage injury kept him from pursuing a professional career, but he was an avid Mariners fan. He also enjoyed golf, was a member of Glen Acres Golf and Country Club, and spent many happy times on the links with his brother, Grant, amongst others.

Doris K. Hendricks

83, passed away on July 22, 2007.

Doris is survived by her husband, John G. Hendricks, of 64 years. Her daughter, Jeanne Ward (Robert) and sons Stanley (Bonnie) and Paul (Kathy), six grandchildren, two great grandchildren, four step grandchildren and ten step great grandchildren. Doris is preceded in death by her brother David W. Carlson in 1973.

Doris (Carlson) graduated from South Kitsap High School and Bremerton Business College. She married John in 1943.

Frances Katherine Draper

84, of West Seattle passed away peacefully on July 30, 2007, surrounded by her loving children. She was born on July 16, 1923 in Mushelshell, Mont. A daughter of Jack and Paulette O'Brian, she graduated from Roundup High School in Roundup, Mont. She worked as a rivet bucker for Boeing during WWII. She moved to West Seattle with her husband Harry William Draper in 1950.

Frances was a very social person, spending time with neighbors and friends, and even enjoyed chatting with strangers.

Valerie Sutherland Ditty

Valerie was born June 10, 1834, in Hoquiam to William and Lillian Sutherland. She graduated from Hoquiam High School, class of 1952. She was married in 1954 to her life love and best friend, William Ditty. She studied journalism at the University of Washington, and had a lifetime love of linguistics easily seen in her passion for crossword puzzles.

Val had a flair for art and was accomplished in metal sculpture.

Betty Thomas

Born: Aug. 29, 1921

Died: July 23, 2007

Betty Thomas was a long-time Burien resident of 59 years. She worked at Wolf's Restaurant in Olde Burien, loved gardening and many trips to her favorite place, Mexico. She and her husband, George, had over 20 years retirement and enjoyed many travels to different destinations.

She will be missed by her family. Suggested donations be made to Highline Health & Hospice, 12844 Military Rd. S, Tukwila WA 98168.

Maxine Riebe Le Penske Powell

An extraordinary and generous lady, Maxine was born in Hoquiam on March 22, 1915. She lived in Hoquiam with her brother Karl and her sisters Geraldine and Carmen and their parents. After graduating from Hoquiam High School she attended business school.

In March 1939 she married Frederick Joseph Le Penske, Jr. She continued to work in Hoquiam but spent many weekends and months at Longmire on Mt. Rainier. Fred was in the Army and they lived at Fort Lawton when son Fred was born.

Dorene B. Bickel

Dorene moved on to the next part of her journey on July 26.

She was a Montana farm girl whose first teaching job was in a one-room school house on an Indian reservation. Before her death she would travel far beyond that reservation to all corners of the world.

After being widowed and left with two young children to raise, before the term 'single-parent' was known, she met and married the love of her life, Emil Bickel. They moved to Seattle in the late 50s where she attended Seattle University and resumed her teaching career for another 30 years in the Highline District.

Alma "Scotty" Burke

Almy "Scotty" Burke passed away July 22, 2007, in the presence of her husband and her two children. Scotty is survived by her loving husband. Jack, her son Shawn, her daughter Shannon, her grandsons Jesse and Kevin Jr., many nieces and nephews and dear friends.

She fought hard but lost her battle with Spindel Cell, a rare and aggressive cancer.

Scotty was born on a ranch near Mildred, Montana, on Oct. 27, 1923, to Jesse and Elizabeth Trafton.

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