Thomas Ray Van Gesen
Thomas Ray Van Gesen of Port Angeles died of pulmonary disease at his residence on Sept. 8, 2021.
He was 73.
Van Gesen was born Jan. 26, 1948.
A memorial is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 9, at The Farm, 577 W. Sequim Bay Road, Sequim.
A full obituary will follow.
Sign an online guestbook for the family at drennanford.com.
Cecil Ray Thomlinson
Cecil Ray Thomlinson of Port Angeles died of acute respiratory failure due to COVID-19 at Sequim Health & Rehabilitation on Sept. 20, 2021.
He was 90.
Thomlinson was born Jan. 22, 1931.
No services will be held.
Sign an online guestbook for the family at drennanford.com.
Joann Knapp
November 4, 1942 – August 11, 2021
Joann Marcia Knapp of Mt. Vernon, WA, passed away peacefully into the presence of Jesus on August 11, 2021, from endometrial cancer in her home surrounded by her loved ones.
She was born on November 4, 1942, in Port Angeles, WA and she lived on a small farm in Sequim, WA with her parents Allison & Georgia (Meyer) Knapp along with her 5 siblings. In November of 1960, she joined the US Army Women’s Corp for 3 years where she served as a coder of classified and unclassified information.
She was blessed with three daughters, Monica, Tara, and Alison, and resided in Lake McMurray, WA for 45 years until she moved into her current home in Mt. Vernon, WA in 2016. She graduated from Skagit Valley College in 1976 with two degrees and worked at Conway School as a para-educator for 30 years.
She was introduced to Jesus and began following His ways. In 2005 she went on her first mission trip with her church, and her spiritual and emotional life was never the same, as the Lord filled her with love, peace, and joy.
Joann loved to serve the Lord by helping others, was known to be a good listener and her door was always open to share a laugh, a meal, or sew together. The art of quilting was her main passion and many friends and family and organizations benefited from her beautiful skills. Joann believed in being part of a community and she volunteered her time to numerous organizations like Habitat for Humanity, Conway School, and serving for several years as the President of Lake McMurray’s Firehall Women’s Auxillary to help raise funds for the firefighters and community.
She is survived by her daughters Monica (Brian) Wollaston, Tara (Eric) Brown, Alison (Keith) Croze, her eight beloved grandchildren, and three of her siblings, Janet Emerson, Eileen Martin, Delbert “Bud” (Shelley) Knapp, along with several nieces, nephews and countless family, and friends. She is preceded in death by her parents, Allison and Georgia (Meyer) Knapp, and brothers, Robert “Bob” Knapp and Donald Knapp.
A private memorial was held on September 18, 2021. A memorial website is available to visit at https://everloved.com/memorial/joann-knapp. She was buried at Gardiner Cemetery in Sequim, WA. In lieu of flowers, we recommend a financial or time to your favorite charity or one of Joann’s: Heifer International, Habitat for Humanity, or Skagit Friendship House (Mt. Vernon, WA).
