Obituaries
Published on Wed, Feb 10, 2010Read More Obituaries
Margaret Joyce Flynn Manning
No service was reported for former Sequim resident Margaret Joyce Flynn Manning, who died Feb. 3, 2010, at the age of 88.
She was born May 28, 1921, in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, to Lily Jane and James Roy Flynn.
She graduated from the University of British Columbia with an education degree emphasizing English, French and art.
Her husband of 57 years, Richard Charles Manning, died in 2001.
Mrs. Manning became a naturalized United States citizen in 1961 in Houston, Texas, where she taught school and participated in numerous church and school activities.
She moved to Sequim upon retirement.
In Sequim, she continued to volunteer her time and talents for charitable activities.
She later lived in Montrose, Colo., and LaPorte, Texas.
She lived in Fountain Hills, Ariz., for the last six years.
She is survived by her sons Richard Manning, David Manning, Scott Manning and Paul Manning; daughter Melanie Knapp; 11 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.
Donald George Repp
A memorial service was held for Sequim resident Donald George Repp, who died Jan. 12, 2010, at the age of 74 of a heart attack.
He was born Jan. 25, 1935, in Endicott to Henry and Elizabeth Repp.
After graduation from Endicott High School, he served three years in the United States Army.
He then attended Washington State University and Seattle University.
He met Esther Wyman of Port Angeles in Seattle in 1960 and they married in 1962.
He was employed for 27 years with Chevron USA, working primarily in Seattle.
He worked five years for Credit Union Northwest, serving as bank manager before he retired in 1992.
The Repps moved from Kirkland to Sequim in 1997.
He enjoyed fishing but his real passion was golf.
He was known for his hearty laughter and great sense of humor.
He also enjoyed giving the neighborhood dogs a treat as their owners took them on their daily walks.
He is survived by his wife, Esther, of Sequim; son Michael of Fort Worth, Texas; brothers Leonard of Dallas, Texas, and Duane of Spokane; brother and sister-in-law Dale and Judy of Lakewood, Colo.; sister Lorene Reed of Spokane; sister-in-law Helen Repp of Spokane; sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, Nancy and Warren Hilt, Sue and Ron Lidster, and Lee and Irene Wyman; and numerous nephews and nieces.
He was preceded in death by his brothers Kenneth, Clayton and Loren.
Memorial contributions may be sent to the American Heart Association or the American Cancer Society.
Millie Jean Rasmussen
A memorial service will be held at noon Saturday, Feb. 27, at Rill Chapel in Port Orchard, for Sequim resident Millie Jean Rasmussen.
Pastor Roger Roth will officiate.
She died Jan. 27, 2010, at the age of 80 of Parkinson's disease.
She was born May 5, 1929, in Seattle to Victor and Frances Newell Pinard.
She graduated from South Kitsap High School in 1947.
Shortly after graduation, she moved to Hawaii to work in the civil service and returned to Port Orchard a few years later.
She raised four boys in Port Orchard.
She was an administrative secretary at Great Northwest Savings and Loan in Bremerton.
After retirement, she moved to Port Angeles, and later Sequim.
She enjoyed traveling to Hawaii and many other locations throughout the world.
RV weekend getaways to the family property at Olympic Canal Tracts on Hood Canal were another favorite pastime.
She enjoyed both flowers and vegetables at her home in Port Angeles and spending time with friends and family.
She is survived by her brother Doug Pinard of Bremerton; sons and daughters-in-law Dan and Janet Peterson of Sequim and Greg and Lisa Peterson of Bremerton; seven grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her sons David and Gordy Peterson.
COL. FRANCIS C. OPEKA, USMC RET.
OUR FAMILY AND OUR NATION HAVE LOST YET ANOTHER OF OUR GREATEST GENERATION, ON THE WINGS OF ANGELS GOES HE...
Hero, husband, and wonderful father, Col. Francis Carroll Opeka, USMC Ret. died quietly of age related causes on December 30, 2009 at OMC in Port Angeles, WA. He was 86 years old. As a military officer he, our mother Marcy, and family of 6 children lived in many places before coming to Sequim-Guam, California, Oklahoma, Texas, North Carolina, Illinois, Minnesota, and Hawaii. Dad and Mom lived in Sequim since 2003 when their daughter and son-in-law moved here. Dad was born, and pretty much raised in Evanston, IL in 1923 to Frank M. and Vera C. Opeka. Dad married Mom on August 26, 1944 in Muncie, Indiana after a short courtship and after he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps. They were married nearly 65 years, and the loved they shared was spoken in volumes in the hundreds of love letters sent by Dad to Mom during three wars and other deployments. They are a wonderful legacy for our family and we will be forever grateful that our parents blessed us with them. Our beloved mother was a hero for keeping the home fires burning alone with 6 kids during three wars.
He was a good and brave man, humble and honorable. He was a true hero, earning numerous medals in his 28 years in the U.S. Navy (2 years) and (26 years) in the Marine Corps. He served as a flight instructor initially, then quickly got into the cockpit to be what he was meant to be, a reconnaissance pilot (camera photography, no weapons, no protection and only a govt' issue colt 1911 .45 cl.) in WWII, flew 45 missions during the Korean Conflict, flew 65 missions in the Viet Nam War with 15 of them near the Demilitarized Zone. He wore The Legion of Merit, "For exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding service as Commanding Officer of MCAS, Kaneohe Hawaii; he wore The Distinguished Flying Cross ("DFC") "For heroism and extraordinary achievement in aerial flight while serving as Commanding Officer of MCR-1 demonstrating exceptional aeronautical ability and bold leadership, flying beyond existing navigational aids, he demonstrated outstanding skill as he located the heavily defended objective area by dead reckoning, he saved many crews lives with his maneuvering"; the Bronze Star w/Combat V for "meritorious service in connection against insurgent communist forces in the Republic of Vietnam in blocking communist communications using his own aircraft"; 8 Air Medals, 2 Gold Stars, a Silver Star, and he also earned numerous Presidential Unit Citations in Vietnam...and the list goes on. Yes, our Dad was a hero, loved and respected by many. He served in the Marine Corps Headquarters (1960-1963) at the Pentagon when President Kennedy was in office. He served as Commanding Officer, of the Kaneohe Marine Corp Air Station in 1968-69, his last command. He retired at El Toro Marine Corps Air Station in August 1969. After his military retirement he became a Manager for UCB Bank and then Vice President for Crocker Bank in Southern California, at a time when Bankers had strong ethics; and after receiving many awards for his work, finally retired after 11 years in the banking business. He held a degree in Business, and attended the Aviation University in Chicago in the 1940s for what was to be his life's work, a Marine Aviator and then he spent the next 20 years with Mom, doing the fun things you do when you retire, sharing precious time, traveling, RVing, boating, fishing in Oregon, and all over the Northwest. He also supported Mom's prolific oils and watercolor talents, cutting mats and making frames, and putting all 100 of them up for all to see and admire. He spent the last 10 years being Mom's full time caregiver...yes; he was an extraordinary human being, our Dad, and what a void he has left.
His beautiful wife Marcy predeceased him just 5 months ago; it was too hard for him to see her photo in her obituary so we put it here. He also lost his beloved daughter Susan Hunt in August 2000. He is survived by his sister Barbara Urias, Alpine, Ca, and daughters Antoinette Valle (husband Jerry) of Franklin, NY, Joanne (Jody) Heydon (husband Doug) of Sequim, WA, Julia Wertepny (husband Rudy) of Troutdale, OR, and Lisa Daughenbaugh (husband Dan) of Moreno Valley, CA. and Son, Daniel Opeka (wife Sue) of Gig Harbor, WA. He is also survived by grandchildren, Michael, Laura, Marcy, Erick, Justin, Andrew, Benjamin, Ryan, Alyssa, David, Alex, Amanda, and Traci; and Great Grandchildren, Bailey, Andrew, Ethan, Jade, Jack Tanner, Dustin and Aiden; 16 nieces and nephews; and his best friend Col. Richard Miller, USMC Ret.
There are many in Sunland North and the Sequim community who'll miss seeing him, most especially Jim and Nancy Follis, wonderful neighbors, who adopted him after the death of our mother. We are grateful for the loving care of Dr. Joe B. Corn, and his staff, especially Arlene, Dr. Wade Austin for his compassion and care of our father on his last day and for the sensitive handling of us all that day and Dr. Bradley Pederson, also the friendly faces of Sid and Paul, at the Safeway Pharmacy; and of course the Safeway Checker ladies, who always gave him a kind word and a smile, he loved going to Safeway. That tall slow moving old fellow in the red ball cap with USMC, scrambled eggs and pins all over it won't be coming back.
A full military honors funeral will be held at Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent WA on Friday, April 16, 2010, 1:15 pm sharp. He will be escorted to the cemetery by the Patriot Guard Riders from Sequim. He and our mother were respectfully cared for by Mr. Douglas Ticknor of Drennan and Ford, Port Angeles. Any donations can be made in his honor to The Marine Corps Heritage Foundation or Wounded Warrior Project, two causes that were important to him and Mom.
Semper Fi, Father, Always Faithful.........
CHUCK MRIZEK
It is with great sadness that the family of Charles (Chuck) Joseph Mrizek, Jr. announce his death on February 7, 2010.
Chuck died quietly at home after a 13 month battle with metastatic squamous cell carcinoma. He was born on July 18, 1932 in Cicero, Ill. to Charles Joseph Mrizek and Ann Polak Mrizek.
Chuck graduated in the Class of 1950 from Culver Military Academy, Indiana, and obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from Northwestern University, Illinois. Northwestern is where he met his wife of 52 years, Shirley Mae Wunderlich. Together they had four sons, Dave, Tom, Andy, and Chip.
May 1956, Chuck entered into active duty with the U.S. Air Force and was stationed at Tachikawa AFB, Japan. In 1958, on reserve duty, Chuck and Shirley moved to California to raise their family. Chuck earned his MBA from Golden Gate College, San Francisco, built a mobile home park and worked for 30 years at McClellan AFB, Sacramento. Chuck and Shirley retired to Sequim, WA in 1999.
Preceded in death by Shirley (2004) and Dave (2009), Chuck is survived by his second wife Barbara Ann Montgomery whom he married in 2006.
Additional survivors are his brother Ed, cousins Mary Lou Reusch and Pete Lammer, sons Tom, Andy, Chip, and their families including fourteen grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, three nieces, and a nephew.
Chuck will always be remembered as a generous and loving husband, father, grandfather and friend. He deeply loved his family, friends and country. He had a wonderful sense of humor and enjoyed telling stories. He loved food, and enjoyed dining or planning and preparing feasts at home. Grandpa (Chuck) was a special favorite with the youngsters as they gathered to listen to his stories, play games, and enjoy his desserts. Other interests included stained glass art, games, travel, fishing, and photography. He always enjoyed taking many pictures of his family and friends.
Chuck developed many very close and special friends through square dance, aviation, pinochle, scuba, mushroom, newcomer and volunteer associations both in California and Washington. He had an incredible memory and always shared his treasure of good times with them.
Chuck, most of all cherished the love of his family and friends.
He was deeply loved and will be dearly missed.
A memorial service will be led by Reverend Robert Rhoads at St. Luke's Episcopal Church on Saturday, February 13, 2010 at 3 pm.
A second memorial service will be held in Fair Oaks, CA on a date to be determined.
In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Chuck can be made to:
St. Luke's Episcopal Parish
525 N 5th Ave., Sequim, WA 98382
or Sequim Community Broadcasting
KSQM 91.5 FM,
P.O. Box 723
Sequim, WA 98382
or a charity of your choice
No service was reported for former Sequim resident Margaret Joyce Flynn Manning, who died Feb. 3, 2010, at the age of 88.
She was born May 28, 1921, in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, to Lily Jane and James Roy Flynn.
She graduated from the University of British Columbia with an education degree emphasizing English, French and art.
Her husband of 57 years, Richard Charles Manning, died in 2001.
Mrs. Manning became a naturalized United States citizen in 1961 in Houston, Texas, where she taught school and participated in numerous church and school activities.
She moved to Sequim upon retirement.
In Sequim, she continued to volunteer her time and talents for charitable activities.
She later lived in Montrose, Colo., and LaPorte, Texas.
She lived in Fountain Hills, Ariz., for the last six years.
She is survived by her sons Richard Manning, David Manning, Scott Manning and Paul Manning; daughter Melanie Knapp; 11 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.
Donald George Repp
A memorial service was held for Sequim resident Donald George Repp, who died Jan. 12, 2010, at the age of 74 of a heart attack.
He was born Jan. 25, 1935, in Endicott to Henry and Elizabeth Repp.
After graduation from Endicott High School, he served three years in the United States Army.
He then attended Washington State University and Seattle University.
He met Esther Wyman of Port Angeles in Seattle in 1960 and they married in 1962.
He was employed for 27 years with Chevron USA, working primarily in Seattle.
He worked five years for Credit Union Northwest, serving as bank manager before he retired in 1992.
The Repps moved from Kirkland to Sequim in 1997.
He enjoyed fishing but his real passion was golf.
He was known for his hearty laughter and great sense of humor.
He also enjoyed giving the neighborhood dogs a treat as their owners took them on their daily walks.
He is survived by his wife, Esther, of Sequim; son Michael of Fort Worth, Texas; brothers Leonard of Dallas, Texas, and Duane of Spokane; brother and sister-in-law Dale and Judy of Lakewood, Colo.; sister Lorene Reed of Spokane; sister-in-law Helen Repp of Spokane; sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, Nancy and Warren Hilt, Sue and Ron Lidster, and Lee and Irene Wyman; and numerous nephews and nieces.
He was preceded in death by his brothers Kenneth, Clayton and Loren.
Memorial contributions may be sent to the American Heart Association or the American Cancer Society.
Millie Jean Rasmussen
A memorial service will be held at noon Saturday, Feb. 27, at Rill Chapel in Port Orchard, for Sequim resident Millie Jean Rasmussen.
Pastor Roger Roth will officiate.
She died Jan. 27, 2010, at the age of 80 of Parkinson's disease.
She was born May 5, 1929, in Seattle to Victor and Frances Newell Pinard.
She graduated from South Kitsap High School in 1947.
Shortly after graduation, she moved to Hawaii to work in the civil service and returned to Port Orchard a few years later.
She raised four boys in Port Orchard.
She was an administrative secretary at Great Northwest Savings and Loan in Bremerton.
After retirement, she moved to Port Angeles, and later Sequim.
She enjoyed traveling to Hawaii and many other locations throughout the world.
RV weekend getaways to the family property at Olympic Canal Tracts on Hood Canal were another favorite pastime.
She enjoyed both flowers and vegetables at her home in Port Angeles and spending time with friends and family.
She is survived by her brother Doug Pinard of Bremerton; sons and daughters-in-law Dan and Janet Peterson of Sequim and Greg and Lisa Peterson of Bremerton; seven grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her sons David and Gordy Peterson.
COL. FRANCIS C. OPEKA, USMC RET.
OUR FAMILY AND OUR NATION HAVE LOST YET ANOTHER OF OUR GREATEST GENERATION, ON THE WINGS OF ANGELS GOES HE...
Hero, husband, and wonderful father, Col. Francis Carroll Opeka, USMC Ret. died quietly of age related causes on December 30, 2009 at OMC in Port Angeles, WA. He was 86 years old. As a military officer he, our mother Marcy, and family of 6 children lived in many places before coming to Sequim-Guam, California, Oklahoma, Texas, North Carolina, Illinois, Minnesota, and Hawaii. Dad and Mom lived in Sequim since 2003 when their daughter and son-in-law moved here. Dad was born, and pretty much raised in Evanston, IL in 1923 to Frank M. and Vera C. Opeka. Dad married Mom on August 26, 1944 in Muncie, Indiana after a short courtship and after he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps. They were married nearly 65 years, and the loved they shared was spoken in volumes in the hundreds of love letters sent by Dad to Mom during three wars and other deployments. They are a wonderful legacy for our family and we will be forever grateful that our parents blessed us with them. Our beloved mother was a hero for keeping the home fires burning alone with 6 kids during three wars.
He was a good and brave man, humble and honorable. He was a true hero, earning numerous medals in his 28 years in the U.S. Navy (2 years) and (26 years) in the Marine Corps. He served as a flight instructor initially, then quickly got into the cockpit to be what he was meant to be, a reconnaissance pilot (camera photography, no weapons, no protection and only a govt' issue colt 1911 .45 cl.) in WWII, flew 45 missions during the Korean Conflict, flew 65 missions in the Viet Nam War with 15 of them near the Demilitarized Zone. He wore The Legion of Merit, "For exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding service as Commanding Officer of MCAS, Kaneohe Hawaii; he wore The Distinguished Flying Cross ("DFC") "For heroism and extraordinary achievement in aerial flight while serving as Commanding Officer of MCR-1 demonstrating exceptional aeronautical ability and bold leadership, flying beyond existing navigational aids, he demonstrated outstanding skill as he located the heavily defended objective area by dead reckoning, he saved many crews lives with his maneuvering"; the Bronze Star w/Combat V for "meritorious service in connection against insurgent communist forces in the Republic of Vietnam in blocking communist communications using his own aircraft"; 8 Air Medals, 2 Gold Stars, a Silver Star, and he also earned numerous Presidential Unit Citations in Vietnam...and the list goes on. Yes, our Dad was a hero, loved and respected by many. He served in the Marine Corps Headquarters (1960-1963) at the Pentagon when President Kennedy was in office. He served as Commanding Officer, of the Kaneohe Marine Corp Air Station in 1968-69, his last command. He retired at El Toro Marine Corps Air Station in August 1969. After his military retirement he became a Manager for UCB Bank and then Vice President for Crocker Bank in Southern California, at a time when Bankers had strong ethics; and after receiving many awards for his work, finally retired after 11 years in the banking business. He held a degree in Business, and attended the Aviation University in Chicago in the 1940s for what was to be his life's work, a Marine Aviator and then he spent the next 20 years with Mom, doing the fun things you do when you retire, sharing precious time, traveling, RVing, boating, fishing in Oregon, and all over the Northwest. He also supported Mom's prolific oils and watercolor talents, cutting mats and making frames, and putting all 100 of them up for all to see and admire. He spent the last 10 years being Mom's full time caregiver...yes; he was an extraordinary human being, our Dad, and what a void he has left.
His beautiful wife Marcy predeceased him just 5 months ago; it was too hard for him to see her photo in her obituary so we put it here. He also lost his beloved daughter Susan Hunt in August 2000. He is survived by his sister Barbara Urias, Alpine, Ca, and daughters Antoinette Valle (husband Jerry) of Franklin, NY, Joanne (Jody) Heydon (husband Doug) of Sequim, WA, Julia Wertepny (husband Rudy) of Troutdale, OR, and Lisa Daughenbaugh (husband Dan) of Moreno Valley, CA. and Son, Daniel Opeka (wife Sue) of Gig Harbor, WA. He is also survived by grandchildren, Michael, Laura, Marcy, Erick, Justin, Andrew, Benjamin, Ryan, Alyssa, David, Alex, Amanda, and Traci; and Great Grandchildren, Bailey, Andrew, Ethan, Jade, Jack Tanner, Dustin and Aiden; 16 nieces and nephews; and his best friend Col. Richard Miller, USMC Ret.
There are many in Sunland North and the Sequim community who'll miss seeing him, most especially Jim and Nancy Follis, wonderful neighbors, who adopted him after the death of our mother. We are grateful for the loving care of Dr. Joe B. Corn, and his staff, especially Arlene, Dr. Wade Austin for his compassion and care of our father on his last day and for the sensitive handling of us all that day and Dr. Bradley Pederson, also the friendly faces of Sid and Paul, at the Safeway Pharmacy; and of course the Safeway Checker ladies, who always gave him a kind word and a smile, he loved going to Safeway. That tall slow moving old fellow in the red ball cap with USMC, scrambled eggs and pins all over it won't be coming back.
A full military honors funeral will be held at Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent WA on Friday, April 16, 2010, 1:15 pm sharp. He will be escorted to the cemetery by the Patriot Guard Riders from Sequim. He and our mother were respectfully cared for by Mr. Douglas Ticknor of Drennan and Ford, Port Angeles. Any donations can be made in his honor to The Marine Corps Heritage Foundation or Wounded Warrior Project, two causes that were important to him and Mom.
Semper Fi, Father, Always Faithful.........
CHUCK MRIZEK
It is with great sadness that the family of Charles (Chuck) Joseph Mrizek, Jr. announce his death on February 7, 2010.
Chuck died quietly at home after a 13 month battle with metastatic squamous cell carcinoma. He was born on July 18, 1932 in Cicero, Ill. to Charles Joseph Mrizek and Ann Polak Mrizek.
Chuck graduated in the Class of 1950 from Culver Military Academy, Indiana, and obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from Northwestern University, Illinois. Northwestern is where he met his wife of 52 years, Shirley Mae Wunderlich. Together they had four sons, Dave, Tom, Andy, and Chip.
May 1956, Chuck entered into active duty with the U.S. Air Force and was stationed at Tachikawa AFB, Japan. In 1958, on reserve duty, Chuck and Shirley moved to California to raise their family. Chuck earned his MBA from Golden Gate College, San Francisco, built a mobile home park and worked for 30 years at McClellan AFB, Sacramento. Chuck and Shirley retired to Sequim, WA in 1999.
Preceded in death by Shirley (2004) and Dave (2009), Chuck is survived by his second wife Barbara Ann Montgomery whom he married in 2006.
Additional survivors are his brother Ed, cousins Mary Lou Reusch and Pete Lammer, sons Tom, Andy, Chip, and their families including fourteen grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, three nieces, and a nephew.
Chuck will always be remembered as a generous and loving husband, father, grandfather and friend. He deeply loved his family, friends and country. He had a wonderful sense of humor and enjoyed telling stories. He loved food, and enjoyed dining or planning and preparing feasts at home. Grandpa (Chuck) was a special favorite with the youngsters as they gathered to listen to his stories, play games, and enjoy his desserts. Other interests included stained glass art, games, travel, fishing, and photography. He always enjoyed taking many pictures of his family and friends.
Chuck developed many very close and special friends through square dance, aviation, pinochle, scuba, mushroom, newcomer and volunteer associations both in California and Washington. He had an incredible memory and always shared his treasure of good times with them.
Chuck, most of all cherished the love of his family and friends.
He was deeply loved and will be dearly missed.
A memorial service will be led by Reverend Robert Rhoads at St. Luke's Episcopal Church on Saturday, February 13, 2010 at 3 pm.
A second memorial service will be held in Fair Oaks, CA on a date to be determined.
In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Chuck can be made to:
St. Luke's Episcopal Parish
525 N 5th Ave., Sequim, WA 98382
or Sequim Community Broadcasting
KSQM 91.5 FM,
P.O. Box 723
Sequim, WA 98382
or a charity of your choice
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