My dear wife, Petra, died of colon cancer last year.   This after five colonoscopies failed to detect anything – (Dear friends, if you have any family history of this, get a CT Scan).

 

We sold our family business three years ago at a very good time – and got paid. I had worked at Adams Tractor Company in high school and operated the company for the last 25 years. During this time, I remained in the Air Force Reserve working as a Combat Crew Commander and Launch Officer on the Titan II ICBM’s, and later, as a liaison officer for the Air Force Academy – retiring as a Lt. Colonel.

 

Also, I became a director of First Federal Savings and Loan (now Banner Bank) 25 years ago and continue that activity.

 

Three of the children, their families, and my Dad (now 94) live in town, so between them (and golf-(God help me)), I stay busy.

Spouse:  Dana
Children:  2 Sons
Grandchildren:  2 Granddaughters
Activities/Hobbies:  Travel, Music, Bridge

After graduating from the University of Washington and serving my active duty time in the Army Reserves, I met and married my wife Dana in 1966. We have two sons, Bob and Brent, who both graduated from the UW and live in the Seattle area. They each have a little girl giving Dana and I two darling and much loved granddaughters.

 

My career consisted of 35years in the employee benefits field. This included: (1) 6 years at King County Medical Blue Shield in Seattle where I was Director of Underwriting and (2) 29 years as a Health and Welfare Benefits Consultant to large employers in the Western and Southern United States. During my years as a consultant, I was a Principal in the Seattle and Memphis Offices of William M. Mercer, the world’s largest employee benefits consulting firm, and later, became a Partner in the Charlotte, N.C. office of Arthur Andersen. While at Mercer, I developed a financial analysis system, which was adopted nationally by the firm. I spent a considerable amount of time implementing the system in various Mercer offices across the country. I was subsequently recruited by Arthur Andersen to build and manage a health and welfare consulting practice in the Southern US, where I remained until my retirement in 2001.

 

We built a retirement home in Brevard, N.C., which is nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Ashville. We lived there for three years before family matters and the birth of our first grandchild beckoned us back to the Seattle area. During our twenty years in the South with stops in Richmond, Memphis, Charlotte and Atlanta we made many wonderful friends. Dana and I became very active as volunteers and board members with the arts communities (Symphony and Opera) in Memphis, Charlotte and Atlanta.

 

We now reside in the city of Sammamish and enjoy renewing old friendships, spending time with our families, traveling, playing bridge and generally celebrating life.

Activities/Hobbies: Tennis, Clay Target Shooting, Reading, Travel, and Mariners Baseball

 

After graduation from Wa-Hi, fellow classmate Karen Poulsen and I discovered each other during our freshman year at Whitman, were later “pinned” (does anyone do that anymore), and were married following graduation in 1963. We then moved to Seattle where I began what was to become a 36 year career with Seattle-First National Bank and, subsequently, Bank of America.

 

Our three children arrived in 1966, 1968, and 1969, each in a different city around the state, which kept Karen pretty busy during their growing up years. In the early 1970’s the bank transferred us to Tacoma where we enjoyed active involvement in community affairs and where we continue to live just to the south in Lakewood. After managing Corporate Banking in Tacoma and Southwest Washington for several years, as well as numerous supervisory positions in Seattle, I retired in 1999 having served the last three as Senior Credit Officer for Bank of America’s Northwest Region. That was well before the sub-prime lending debacle of the last few years I might add!

 

Following retirement, Karen and I had a second home built in Sunriver where the high desert of Central Oregon is a great alternative to the liquid sunshine and ever growing population of Puget Sound. Giving up the daily commute to Seattle for one to Sunriver every 3 or 4 weeks was an easy decision to make. We now spend about a third of our time there throughout the year, and since our children all live in the Greater Seattle area we are fortunate to enjoy numerous family events and holidays together. Nothing beats the sound of grandchildren playing during the day and the quiet of star filled skies at night. Life has been good to us and we are very thankful for its blessings.

I received a BA degree in Music and Music Education in 1963 from WSU, and after graduate studies at UW and USD an MA in vocal performance in 1968, also from WSU. I taught elementary and junior high music in Enumclaw, WA, then taught voice part time at AMU, ACC, UAA, and APU in Anchorage, AK and later at LBCC in Oregon. I performed as soprano soloist in faculty recitals, concert programs, opera productions, Christian Science churches and played flute in the Anchorage Symphony.

 

My top priority roles through the years have been wife to David (46 years so far!) and mother to Henry, Harold and Kathryn (and her husband Chris Wagner) and now Grandma to our adorable grandchildren (aren’t they all?) Kora Lee and John David Wagner, and Penelope Louise Kapp (Henry’s daughter.)