Tollie Craner
March 1, 1924 – June 5, 2019
A tribute from Christine Taggart, Tollie’s granddaughter-in-law tribute:
Steve’s Grandma left this life earlier this afternoon. She had her beloved daughter, Char, at her side.
I had the honor of always feeling so welcomed and loved by Grandma Tollie these past 9+ years. She always called me “Dear” and smiled radiantly at me.
At her 90th birthday party, I met almost all of her other children, grandkids and great-grandkids. I have a crystal clear memory in my mind of when some of the great-grandkids gathered around her feet as she spoke to them. They adored her and she adored them. She has been a fundamental part of her grandchildren, and their little ones’ lives for so long; she leaves behind a beautiful legacy of amazing people who will carry on her spirit, her faith, and her love for family.
I saw her as an independent woman who adored and cherished Char for taking care of her in these later years. And Tollie always made me feel like I meant the world to her as one of her beloved grandsons’ wife. Steve’s mother, aunts, cousins, and other family members mean the world to me as I feel very blessed to be a part of Tollie’s family.
She was loved by many and will be missed.
Rest easy, Tollie.
There will be a memorial held July 2, 2019, at Carl G. Washburne Memorial State Park in Florence, Oregon.
In lieu of flowers, you may donate to Volunteer Hospice of Clallam County. 540 East 8th St, Port Angeles, WA 98362. http://vhocc.org/support-us/donate/. VHOCC was with us to the end. Please contribute to their cause; this is the wish of the family.
George Fisher Warren, Jr.
October 19, 1934 – June 5, 2019
George Fisher Warren, Jr., age 84, of Sequim, died of kidney cancer, on Wednesday, June 5, 2019, in the Port Angeles Hospital.
Born in Seattle, on the 10th of October, 1934, George served in the Navy as a diver in Explosive Ordnance Disposal and as a Jr. officer on the deck of the aircraft carrier, Lake Champlain.
After the Navy, he married and had two sons. He was a devoted husband and father.
Once the children were grown, he rode Italian motorbikes for pleasure, taking an annual ride from Sequim to New Mexico, just a few months before he died.
We miss him. His love continues to sustain us.
A Celebration of George’s Life will be held in the fall.
Walter Lhoyd Johnson
Walter Lhoyd Johnson (90), died on June 3, 2019.
Walt was born and grew up, in Detroit, where he attended Cass Technical High School. He then received a full scholarship and attended Michigan Tech where he graduated with a degree in Metallurgical Engineering.
After a brief stint in the Army, he returned to Detroit where he married the love of his life, Sara.
Walt worked as a metallurgist and then found his true calling studying computer science in the mid-sixties. He went on to pioneer the development of computer aided design and its implementation at Ford Motor Company.
He served on the school board of Southfield, Michigan, for 22 years, and as president of the Michigan ACLU. Walt and Sara were also active participants in the Birmingham Unitarian Church.
In addition to raising three children, Walt and Sara loved to ski, sail, hike, and travel the world together. Walt successfully ran in the Detroit International marathon; was an avid racquetball player; table tennis player; bridge player; and adventurer.
In 2001, Walt and Sara moved, to Sequim, to live in a multi- generational family home with their daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren.
Walt served on the Sequim school board for 10 years; had many roles at the Olympic Unitarian Universalist Fellowship; was a hiker with the Over the Hill hikers group; and was a huge contributor to the Clallam County Streamkeepers.
His approach to life was to accept how things are, and plan from there, thus his motto: “Ok. Now what?” Walt believed deeply in working with others for positive change.
He leaves behind a loving family and many friends.
A Celebration of Walt’s Life will be held in Walt and Sara’s home and beautiful garden on Saturday, July 27, at 1 PM.
Thyrza A. Knazovich Wiley
Thyrza was born in Saskatchewan, Canada, in 1918, and died peacefully on May 20, 2019, in Ellicott City, Maryland. At 100 plus years she had lived a full life.
She was married to Alex Knazovich for almost 50 years and lived in Oklahoma, California, North Carolina, Germany and Okinawa where Al was stationed. As an Army wife, she was a teacher in several states as well as overseas. During those years they had three children, Mary Beth (Sandy), Michael, and Alexis.
In 1974, when she retired from teaching, in California, and Al had retired from the Army, they moved to Sequim where Al had built their dream house, in Mains Farm.
In 1984, as members of the Sequim Presbyterian Church, they met Barbara and Roger Wiley, who were retiring from Pullman. For years, the two couples became best of friends. When Al passed away, in 1992, and Barbara did too, Thyrza and Roger helped each other get through the deaths of their spouses.
Finally in 1993, Thyrza and Roger married and enjoyed traveling and visiting family in Sequim, Bellingham, New Mexico, Arizona, California, and Maryland, until 2015, when Roger passed away. For the last seven years, she lived in Maryland.
Thyrza was a fantastic cook and loved to plan and serve wonderful meals to family and fortunate friends. She also had many bonsai plants; was active in the Dungeness Bonsai Society as well as the PEO. As a member of the Presbyterian Church in Sequim, Thyrza enjoyed working with friends on Project days and singing in the choir.
When interviewed for a “life wisdom” on her 90th birthday, Thyrza said, “We are not faced with any problem that we cannot face with God’s help. I know that I can go to Him and depend on Him.” This reflects the deep faith she had all her life.
At 100, Thyrza is predeceased by many including daughter, Lexi Knazovich; and step-daughter Gloria (Paul) Allard.
She is survived by children, Mary Beth (John), Michael (Georgia), Steve (Carolyn), Brad (Nichola), Roger, Jr. (Helena); grandchildren, Dan (Jan), Matt, Joanna (Dave), Seth (Portia); and nine Wiley grandchildren; great-grandchildren, Emily, Mei, Lily, Zane, Henry, Connor and Ethan.
Thyrza will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery, in Virginia, at a future date.
Memorial donations can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association at 1850 York Road, Suite D, Timonium, MD 21093.
Eloise Whittlesey (Kielhorn) Kailin, M.D.
Eloise Kailin, a retired physician, environmental activist, and resident of Sequim, died June 1, 2019, at 100 years of age.
She was dynamically engaged with public health and environmental concerns (and with the good governance these require), until the end of her days. She inspired countless others to become involved too.
Eloise graduated from George Washington University School of Medicine, in 1943, becoming Board Certified in Allergy & Immunology. While running her private practice, she was also a Professor at Howard University College of Medicine, served for over three decades as a writer and editor of medical abstracts for The Journal of Allergy, and published over twenty research articles in peer-reviewed journals. She also served on the air pollution board in Washington, D.C., establishing their air quality monitoring program.
Eloise took a leading role in many local environmental and health concerns after moving to the Olympic Peninsula. In 1973, she became an early board member of Protect the Peninsula’s Future, where she remained an officer until 2019.
Among her achievements: she spearheaded successful opposition to the building of a nuclear power plant on land that is now Miller Peninsula State Park and worked to have it preserved as state park land. She successfully labored to convince the city of Sequim to protect Sequim Bay waters by upgrading its wastewater sewage treatment plant to tertiary treatment. She campaigned tirelessly against the addition of fluoride to drinking water in Sequim and Port Angeles, culminating in Port Angeles finally ceasing water fluoridation in 2017. Most recently, she began educating the community about the potential adverse health effects of 5G wireless.
Eloise received numerous awards recognizing her medical and environmental accomplishments. Among them: Clallam County Community Service Award; first recipient of People for Puget Sound’s Warren Magnuson Puget Marine Protection Award; Washington Environmental Council’s Environmental Heroes Award; and the Eleanor Stopps Environmental Leadership Award.
What mattered most to Eloise was that her contributions speak for themselves. She devoted her life towards improving human health and preserving a clean environment. She would be pleased to see these efforts continued.
Eloise is survived by her three children and one grandson. She was preceded in death by her husband, Harvey Kailin, Sr.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a charitable donation to her beloved Protect The Peninsula’s Future, PO Box 1677, Sequim, WA 98382.
