William Hunt Parr Jr.
William Hunt Parr Jr. of Port Angeles died of age-related causes at his residence on Jan. 6, 2021.
He was 81.
Parr was born Nov. 29, 1939.
A memorial will be held at a later date.
Sign an online guestbook for the family at www. drennanford.com.
Jack Eugene Brown
Jack Eugene Brown of Sequim died of natural causes Dec. 24, 2020, at Olympic Medical Center.
He was 89.
Brown was born July 8, 1931.
A celebration of life will take place at a later date at Mount Angeles Memorial Park in Port Angeles.
Debra Kathleen Buchillo
November 15, 1951 – December 22, 2020
“Debbie or Deb”
Debbie was born the second child of Leon “Gruts” and Elsie (Kilmer) Lopeman on November 15, 1951 in Port Townsend, Washington and passed away at her home, overlooking Sequim Bay after complications from a stroke due to a brief battle with cancer.
She was born in Port Townsend and raised in Hadlock. She graduated in 1969 from Chimacum High School as co-valedictorian and played alto saxophone in the band, was a member of FHA, Girls Club and the Torch Honor Society. After graduation, she attended Central Washington University from 1969-1970.
She met her husband, Gary Louis Buchillo, through family and were married at the Masonic Hall in Port Townsend on July 11, 1970, on her maternal grandmother and grandfather’s wedding anniversary.
Debbie and Gary just recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary and while the pandemic put a damper on their plans for a gathering, they were still able to see family and friends via Zoom. They moved to the house on East Sequim Bay in 1972 and started their family. It was a great house near the beach to raise their three girls, Kirsten, Hillary and Andrea, who were able to care for her at home before her passing.
After working at Nolan’s restaurant in Sequim for several years, Debbie started volunteering at Helen Haller Elementary School when her youngest daughter, Andrea, started kindergarten and was hired as a teacher’s assistant in 1986 shortly thereafter.
She then went on to become the school secretary and retired 31 years later. She was well known by students and staff who called her “the heart of Helen Haller” and “a bright beautiful light” who brought smiles, calmness and kindness to the school every day.
Debbie enjoyed spending time with family and friends in Hawaii. She was able to visit the tropical islands many times and called Kona her home away from home.
She is survived by her husband Gary of Sequim, her daughters: Kirsten (Jason) Hammer of Port Townsend, Hillary (Ingvar) Ivarson of Ellensburg and Andrea (Jarin) Gagner of Sequim. Grandchildren: Kayla Taylor and Austen Hammer of Port Townsend, Sean, McKenna & Konner Ivarson of Ellensburg, and Marli and Paxtin Gagner of Sequim. She is also survived by her mother Elsie (Kilmer) Lopeman, siblings: Dan Lopeman, Chris (Janet) Lopeman, and Becky Fernandes, all of Hadlock and also one niece and nephew. She is preceded in death by her father, Leon “Gruts” Lopeman.
As one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Debbie had faith in the Bible’s hope of the resurrection. Her family and friends look forward to seeing her again in the paradise earth.
A memorial service for Debbie will be held at a future date. Arrangements are by Kosec’s Funeral Home in Port Townsend; please visit www.kosecfh.com to share your memories of Debbie.
In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory can be made to an organization of your choice. Inurnment will be at Shine Cemetery.
John “Mick” Laharne
Mick, 73, passed away on December 25, after a long battle with cancer. His family was at his side.
He grew up in Rockford, IL, and moved to Seattle after leaving the Navy. He married, had a daughter, then divorced. He met his wife, Diane, in 1972 and they moved to Sequim the following year. They raised two sons, both in Sequim.
Mick worked in construction, and at Port Townsend Paper. He was very active in Sequim Little League, both on the board and as a coach. He loved going to his sons’ sporting events and to Mariners games. He enjoyed gardening, camping and reading.
He was very fortunate to be an organ transplant recipient, and we are all so grateful for his “bonus” years and the wonderful care from UWMC for almost two decades.
Mick is survived by his wife, Diane, daughter Cami (Kevin) in UT, sons Jon and Isaac of Sequim, and brother Steve Laharne (Mel) in IL. He has three beloved grandchildren; Ariana and Ayden of UT, and Greyson of Sequim and Port Angeles. Mick was the proud uncle of five nephews and one niece.
Linde-Price is in charge of arrangements.
There will be a celebration of life at a later date.
Sydney Lou Jackson
March 27, 1935 – December 27, 2020
An Extraordinary Life: A Free Spirit Who Loved All People
Sydney Lou Jackson, 85, (of Sequim, WA/Cape Coral, FL) passed away on Sunday, December 27, 2020.
Sydney’s love for life and colorful soul always made her the life of the party. Her spark lit up every room. Sydney was an independent, free spirit who loved all people, art, and animals. She navigated life at the beat of her own drum.
From rocking sequins and pink hair, to paving the way for social justice, to traveling the world teaching students in Chula Vista and Cape Verde Africa, Sydney showed us all the importance of individuality and always standing up for what you believe in.
Sydney is reunited in heaven with her husband and the love of her life Jefferson Jackson and with her sons Shawne and Michael.
She is survived by two children, Scott Jackson and Jeffie Lou Jackson Thorn, and five grandchildren, all of whom loved her dearly and miss her immensely.
Though we cannot convene to celebrate her life now, a happier time will come when we can all safely come together.
Share online condolences with the family by contacting Jeffie Lou Jackson Thorn at:
6107 S Fountain St., Seattle WA 98178
jeffielou@hotmail.com; (206) 407-4298
You can also honor Sydney’s life and dedication to teaching and public service by donating in her name through this link* to support education programs in Peace Corps Africa: https://www.peacecorps.gov/SydneyLouJackson
*When donating, please click the “in memory of” box to allocate your support in memoriam of Sydney.
Roger Glenn Crook
January 26, 1943 – December 17, 2020
Roger Glenn Crook was born January 26, 1943, in Longview, Washington. He was the son of Miriam Russell Dick Crook and Cloyde Carson Crook. He was the younger brother of Clayton Dick Crook. A son, a student, a musician, a soldier, a husband of 53 years to Mary Whitney Warner Crook, a teacher, a colleague, a coach, the father of Austin Charles Crook and Amy Noel Crook Maxim, and Opa of Brynn Ainsley Maxim, Emlyn Keira Maxim, and Sullivan Glenn Crook, Mr. Crook was a good citizen to his community, a friend to many, and he played French horn for 67 years with many, many fine local musicians. And, like playing music, now and then in life he sometimes got it right. Mr. Crook was a good man.
Roger is speaking in his own voice in the paragraph above. His family would like to add some words too. Beloved by his family and friends, he is survived by his wife Mary, his son Austin (Courtney) of Camas WA, his daughter Amy (Evan) of Redmond WA, his three grandchildren, his brother Clay (Karen) of Moses Lake WA, his nieces Kelly Crook of Moses Lake and Cindy (Robert) Manderfield and grandniece Charity of San Diego, his cousin Tom (Linda) Thompson of Coeur d’Alene, his cousin Beverly Dick of Oro Valley AZ and her daughter Lisa Dick (John Hulteen) and grandsons Jacob and Alex of Afton, Minnesota, sisters-in-law Kristin Warner of Sequim and Jessica (Bill) Schilling of Kauai and her daughter Lauren (Linc) Lippincott and grandson Graham of Kirkland.
He taught 4th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grades in the Sequim School District from 1978 until his retirement in 2004. He started the Sequim Middle School cross-country team, coached track and field, and coached the middle school knowledge bowl team (attracting participants by popping corn and letting the irresistible odor waft down the school halls). He played French horn with the Port Angeles Symphony Orchestra, with the Port Townsend Symphony Orchestra, and at many Christmas concerts put on by the Sequim Community Church, among others. He had the loveliest sound.
He died of esophageal cancer on December 17, 2020, choosing to end his life under our state’s Death with Dignity law. His journey is at caringbridge.org/visit/rogercrook. He left his life with the same class with which he had lived it. We will miss him all the rest of our lives, but count it a blessing that we had him for all of his.
Gifts in his memory can be made to the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula.
Ken Brandelius
January 5, 1950 – November 8, 2020
Ken Brandelius, 70, of Sequim, WA passed away on November 8, 2020 after a long battle with COPD. Born to Dorothy & Ed “Brandy” Brandelius in Detroit, Michigan where he lived until 1963 when he moved to La Jolla, CA.
Ken spent the mid-60s and early 70s traveling with many San Francisco bands including Big Brother & the Holding Company, Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane and Quicksilver Messenger Service.
In 1975, he moved to Alaska where he was a cook on fishing boats until he opened his own restaurants, Yancey Derringer’s, in Juneau and Ketchikan. Ken married Roxanne Niehaus in 1980 with whom he had two beautiful daughters.
Settling in Sequim in 1987, he worked as a chef and then devoted the last 20 years of his working life as a customer service manager at the local QFC store where he was known for his bright blue eyes and warm smile plus his incredible ability to make people feel welcome as well as name the location of any item in the store.
After retiring in 2016, Ken spent his free time golfing, reconnecting with his siblings and enjoying his daughters’ company. He was most proud of being a loving father and grandfather. Ken was preceded in death by both of his parents and his sisters, Mary Elizabeth and Jerilyn.
He is survived by his siblings Susie and John, daughters Alicia and Erica, his grandchildren Collin, Benjamin and Freya and numerous nephews and nieces. No services are planned. Grateful thanks to Assured Hospice for their compassionate care in Ken’s last days.
