West Seattle, Washington
29 Sunday
Next up in this month’s round of neighborhood-group meetings is the Morgan Community Association, which meets quarterly. MoCA’s online meeting is Wednesday (January 18th) at 7 pm. Topics on the agenda so far include updates on the Morgan Junction Park addition site, the future electric-vehicle-charging site, and this year’s plans for the MoCA-presented Morgan Junction Community Festival. The meeting is happening online only; video and phone attendance info is in our calendar listing.
Family and friends will gather Friday to remember Ronald Douglas Riedasch, who died January 5th. Here’s the remembrance they are sharing with his community:
Ron was born December 11, 1942 to Glenn and Marjorie Riedasch in Seattle and raised in West Seattle with his sister, Eleen. He attended Lafayette Elementary, James Madison Junior High, and West Seattle High School, graduating in 1961. He went on to Washington State University, joining the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, and a prouder Cougar you would never meet!
Ron then chose to serve his country in the Coast Guard as a Lieutenant (j.g.) from 1967-1970. He trained in Yorktown, Virginia and competed on the rifle team in Miramar, CA, placing fourth among rifle teams from all branches of service before deploying to Honolulu, Hawaii. After his time in the service, earning his MBA from the University of Washington in 1972, and playing semi-pro football as tight end for the Seattle Titans, Ron elected to work at Boeing, where he quickly rose through the ranks in defense (Seattle), electronics (Dallas) and operations (Everett and Renton). His manufacturing processes were named best in the nation in The Five Pillars of TQM: How to Make Total Quality Management Work for You (Creech, 1994). At the height of his career as Director of Operations, 747/767, he managed over 12,000 employees and received praise from colleagues and reportees alike for his honesty, fairness, loyalty, work ethic and ability to remain level-headed in crises. His family always felt exceedingly safe traveling on the planes built in his factories.
In his downtime, Ron adored being outdoors in the Pacific Northwest, hunting, fishing, or boating. He and his cherished wife, Ann, spent years traveling the coast of Western Washington and Canada with their boating club, The Rat Pack. He remained active and fit playing senior competitive softball in the Associated Softball League (Palm Desert, CA), Puget Sound Softball League (WA), and Senior Softball USA (national leagues) from the time of his retirement until his head injury in 2019. After he was unable to play, he always yearned to get “back in the game” and support his teammates. His belongings were full of notes from coaches on how to play better, and that’s what Ron always strove for: to do better.
Ron was devoted to his church, the West Side Presbyterian Church in Seattle, where he was a deacon. He felt so blessed to be able to lift up his fellow parishioners with prayer and support, decipher the Bible and offer advice and consolation where needed. He also loved to read the Bible nightly with Ann and discuss their thoughts on passages.
Ron and Ann adored traveling to Mexico, Hawaii, and Southern California to visit the grandkids whenever Ron’s softball schedule would allow, and they shared many wonderful memories with Ann’s lovely sisters, their respective husbands, and Sasha’s family. Ron was preceded in passing by his father, sister, and stepson (Jon). He is survived by his wife Ann, mother Marjorie, daughter Sasha (Craig), stepchildren Chris (Debbie) and Pam (Brad), five nephews, seven grandchildren including grandson Becker and granddaughter Ellia, and two great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to your favorite charity in Ron’s name. His memorial service is at 1 pm Friday (January 20th) at West Side Presbyterian Church, 3601 California SW.
(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries and memorial announcements by request, free of charge. Please email the text, and a photo if available, to westseattleblog@gmail.com)
Good morning. It’s Monday, January 16th, Martin Luther King Jr. Day – here’s info for this holiday:
TRANSPORTATION
*One last reminder – the low bridge has been back open to all users since Friday afternoon
*Metro: Regular weekday schedule
*No Water Taxi today
*Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth state ferry route on usual 2-boat schedule
*Free parking today in areas of the city with on-street paid parking
*See citywide traffic cams here, West Seattle-relevant cams here
OTHER SERVICES/FACILITIES
*Schools closed
*No USPS services except Priority Mail Express
*Banking holiday
*Libraries are closed
*Most Seattle Parks facilities closed
WEATHER
*Partly sunny today, chance of pm rain, high in the upper 40s.
HAPPENING TONIGHT
*See the event list on our West Seattle Event Calendar.
Got news? Text us at 206-293-6302,or email westseattleblog@gmail.com if non-urgent – thank you!
One last community-meeting report from this past week: The Admiral Neighborhood Association met Tuesday night at Admiral Church. ANA’s new president Joanie Jacobs led the meeting. Parks and police were two major topics. For the former, Hiawatha’s status tops the list – both for general community interest, and because the ANA’s long-running summer concert series happens there. Parks didn’t send a rep to the meeting, but ANA leadership has been in contact. As reported here last month, the community center’s long-planned upgrade project isnn’t expected to start construction before May, and that would keep Hiawatha closed until early 2024. ANA’s Dan Jacobs, who’s been communicating with Parks, says the play-area move and playfield turf-replacement projects are other complicating factors. The play area, like the community center, has gone into another round of delays, he was told, and plans are currently in “revisions.” Concert-series coordinator Stephanie Jordan is looking for help scouting for alternate locations and planning. The concerts might be in a different format if they do happen – possibly even a one-day music festival.
(ANA president Joanie Jacobs and Southwest Precinct Lt. Nathan Shopay)
Seattle Police did have a representative at the meeting, Southwest Precinct night-shift commander Lt. Nathan Shopay. He noted that Admiral overall remains one of the quietest areas in Seattle’s safest neighborhood. As has been the case at other neighborhood meetings, he was asked about staffing – still a challenge – and also talked about a new version of the four-day schedule that’s being implemented for officers. No updates on specific incidents, but regarding emphasis patrols, he said he’s still placing some officers in the Don Armeni Boat Ramp area on Friday and Saturday nights to try to deter street racers and other stunt drivers.
Other notes: The ANA Adopt-a-Street cleanups will be revived – can you pitch in? Message ANA to volunteer … West Seattle Grounds (2141 California SW) is collecting sock donations through the end of the month – drop off packages of new socks for Operation Nightwatch’s work with unsheltered people … The Southwest Seattle Historical Society is continuing to open the Log House Museum (61st/Stevens) one day a week, noon-4 pm Saturdays, for visitors. … Watch connecttoadmiral.org for neighborhood updates between meetings.
Seattle Parks has opened its annual call for vendors interested in concession spots, and two West Seattle parks are on the list: Alki Beach (two spaces) and Lincoln Park (one). Approved vendors will be able to start selling in May. Parks says it’s seeking both food and non-food concessionaires. You can get specifics via the Request For Proposals document on the Parks website; proposals are due March 2nd.
Molly sent the photos from a sunny Saturday sighting at Jack Block Park, noting: “Looks like E32 firefighters were doing diving training at Jack Block Park. They kept having one of the firefighters throw the cone into the water and the diver would run into the water and find it as quickly as possible, and then swim back to shore as well. It was awesome to watch (my 3-year-old wanted to watch them all day).”
We don’t have official information on exactly what kind of training/practicing was happening there – but we do know some SFD firefighters are trained as Rescue Swimmers (this Seattle Channel video shows what that program’s all about).
Daystar Retirement Village (2615 SW Barton; WSB sponsor) has announced its first AARP-presented class in three-plus years, and it’s open to the community (age 55+). It’s a daylong safe-driving class, 9 am-5:30 pm Saturday, January 28th, in the Hearthside Building Activity Room at Daystar. The class teaches:
-Important facts about the effects of medication on driving.
-How to reduce driver distractions.
-How to maintain the proper following distance behind another car.
-Proper use of safety belts, air bags, anti-lock brakes and new technology found in cars today.
-Techniques for handling left turns, right-of-way, and roundabouts.
-Age-related physical changes and how to adjust your driving to compensate.
If you’re an AARP member, it’s $23.95; if not, $29.95. AARP says completing the class might make you eligible for an auto-insurance discount. You can sign up to take the class by calling Daystar at 206-937-6122.
Since this morning’s report on a West Seattle business break-in, we’ve heard from another business, hit by an apparent burglary attempt:
That’s the door at Cherry Consignment (4142 California SW), whose proprietor Nyla says it happened sometime last night or this morning. Whoever broke the door glass didn’t make it all the way through, as the photo shows. She’s hoping someone nearby might have caught something on a security camera or might otherwise have seen something.
The photo is from Jordan, who was surprised to see that river otter crossing Fauntleroy Way by the ferry dock around midnight a few nights ago, “heading toward the ravine that runs though the neighborhood there. Concerned about him getting hit and also wondering if otters have been seen in these parts of West Seattle Was a very special moment when I realized it wasn’t a cat but a massive otter… it looked much bigger then a typical river otter!” Short answer – yes, you might see them in any area of West Seattle that’s not too far from water, and in fact, our last “otters crossing” reminder a year-plus ago was from the Lincoln Park area, months after one reported in Solstice Park. They cross roads to get to inland dens – and once in a while they just get lost, like the two orphaned otters who went all the way up to Hiawatha via Fairmount in 2018.
Two West Seattle Crime Watch notes this morning:
COFFEE STAND BREAK-IN: The photos and report are from Erik:
Mighty Mugs Coffee – West Seattle on West Marginal was broken into last night, I just happened to be driving by as workers were cleaning up the wreckage so pitched in and will add some bags to yesterday’s pile for pickup. It looks like a vehicle was used to pull the door off its hinges and then they proceeded to trash the place, causing lots of damage.
If you have any information please contact the business and call the police, and then please patronize this business when they’re up and running again!
The police-report number is 23-014120.
DUMPED-LIKELY-STOLEN BICYCLE: Matt spotted this in Highland Park:
Seen on Henderson Place SW and 9th Ave SW.
(Pelagic Cormorant with gunnel, photographed by James Tilley)
Welcome to Sunday! Here’s the highlight list from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
LOW BRIDGE OPEN: One more reminder that the West Seattle low bridge is open again.
CHURCHES WITH ONLINE SERVICES: We’re continuing to list these – see today’s lineup here.
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: As usual, 10 am-2 pm, the market offers winter produce as well as flowers, cheese, fish, meat, baked goods, condiments, fresh-cooked food, beverages, nuts, more. Here’s today’s vendor list. (California SW between Oregon and Alaska)
DONATION DRIVE AT ALKI UCC: 11 am-3 pm, the church at 6115 SW Hinds has this request:
Our unsheltered neighbors are in critical need of men’s waterproof outerwear and sleeping bags. Donations of non-perishable food, clothing and gear are distributed through the Westside Interfaith Network Saturday lunch, hosted in White Center.
Other info is in our calendar listing.
SEATTLE STREET FIXERS: 1 pm, volunteers will take on the task of clearing vegetation that’s blocking the sidewalk at 6355 41st SW. Our calendar listing has info on how you can help.
LIVE MUSIC AT C & P: 3 pm at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor), Musicians for the West Seattle Food Bank, featuring Bill Davie and Steve Norris.
NEED FOOD? White Center Community Dinner Church serves a free meal (take-away available) at 5 pm Sundays at the Salvation Army Center in South Delridge (9050 16th SW).
BEARDED QUEEN PAGEANT: At The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW), the National Pacific Northwest Bearded Queen Pageant takes the stage at 7 pm (doors at 6). More info and tickets here.
YOGA, MEDITATION, GONG BATH: Presented by Inner Alchemy, 7 pm at Move2Center (3618 SW Alaska), $35.
SUNDAY NIGHT JAZZ: Triangular Jazztet at The Alley (4509 California SW), 8 pm and 9 pm sets.
LATIN SUNDAYS: The Benbow Room (4210 SW Admiral Way) invites you over for Latin Sundays, with DJ Papito Peace, starting at 9 pm.
SUNDAY NIGHT KARAOKE: 9 pm to 1:30 am at Admiral Pub (2306 California SW).
Have an event to add to our calendar? Please email westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Two volunteer cleanups in West Seattle this weekend – first, the one that happened today:
UNDER THE BRIDGE: Erik Bell from A Cleaner Alki sent photos from the cleanup on which his group and We Heart Seattle teamed up, beneath the Admiral Way approach to the West Seattle Bridge: “This is what you’ve been driving over when you come off Admiral Way to get on the Bridge. It’s looking much better now.” Before and after examples:
Erik’s group has frequent cleanups around the peninsula – find them at byandby.org. Meantime, another group has an event planned Sunday:
SEATTLE STREET FIXERS: A few weeks ago, we showed you what these volunteers did in Gatewood, “revealing” an overgrown sidewalk. They’re tackling another one starting at 1 pm Sunday, in Morgan Junction, in the 6300 block o 41st SW, and more volunteers are welcome. Organizer Conrad explains, “Currently, more than half of the sidewalk on the south side of Fauntleroy, between 41st and the nearest alleyway, is inaccessible due to ivy and an overgrown hedge.” He sent this photo:
Conrad continues, “Given the size of the hedge, any big trimming tools will be useful, as will yard-waste bags, given the large amount of debris this work will generate. This spot is along a busy road so we will need to stay mindful while working.”
Three notes in West Seattle Crime Watch tonight:
STOLEN CAR: West Seattle resident Dan‘s car was stolen in Burien and he’s getting the word out regionally to watch for it:
My car, a white 1997 Subaru Legacy GT wagon, was stolen this afternoon (around 1-1:30 pm) in Burien on SW 157th in the parking lot between Azteca and Value Village. License plate #2869 LEM. Video footage from Azteca shows two men pull up in a green Ford Ranger, steal the car within a few minutes. Both sped out of the parking lot after stealing the car.
It’s been reported to police/sheriffs in Burien; we’ll add the number when we get it. (Added: C23001615)
STOLEN TRUCK: This was posted via a comment, so we’re following up to get the location: “My 15-foot truck U-HAUL was stolen today around 1:00 pm. License plate AG30561 – if you see the truck, please call 911 or contact me by email: Mrgpuckett@outlook.com”
ARRESTS AFTER NEIGHBORS’ FIGHT: A post on SPD Blotter this afternoon recaps an incident to which police responded Friday evening around 5:30 pm in the 8400 block of Delridge Way SW. Police say it started with a report of a fight between neighbors and ended with a 38-year-old woman and 40-year-old man arrested for investigation of burglary, assault, and hate crime; details are here.
It’s the only “edible park” in West Seattle – Puget Ridge Edible Park – and it’s right here on the peninsula. A recent arrival to Puget Ridge who has been chronicling her family’s journeys on YouTube, Melissa Smith, discovered PREP (18th SW and SW Brandon) and wanted to tell its story. After she sent us the link to the resulting video (embedded above), we asked her for the backstory about her storytelling:
Since summer 2022, we have been traveling by van across the West Coast from Santa Cruz, California, where I first converted a 1/10 acre property into a micro food forest. As former middle-school science teachers, my husband and I decided to pursue our dream to start a regenerative farm and are now on the road searching for where to buy land and immerse ourselves in a community with our farm and education center.
In late October, we decided to settle for the winter and looked around the Seattle area. We fell in love with West Seattle after experiencing the Halloween bash downtown. We found a furnished space to rent and have started to explore areas locally. I just so happened to walk by PREP and immediately fell in love. I met Stu [Hennessey] and asked if it would be possible to share all he and this community have done to create such a powerful place.
It is a dream to help others create similar spaces like PREP in their communities.
PREP itself is the fruition of a dream dating back into the ’00s, finally funded in the ’10s by the city Parks Levy Opportunity Fund, transformed and maintained by community volunteers,
Becky and Alyssa are welcoming you this afternoon/evening to what their shop Doll Parts Collective‘s third and hopefully permanent location.
They’re now on the south end of The Junction at 4832 California SW (which held Again & Again/Kid Friendly Footwear until that shop merged into Three Little Birds), just a few blocks south of their former space, which is being redeveloped, as was their original space in north Morgan Junction. Today they’re celebrating their “grand reopening” after the move:
Doll Parts offers vintage clothing and other quirky, funky items including houseware – a place where shopping can be fun.
Stop by today before 6 pm for a look and celebratory extras including snacks and flash tattooing.
(Preferred ‘massing’ – size and shape – for project, from draft design packet)
As first reported here last July, Aegis Living is proposing a new assisted-living/memory-care complex at the long-vacant strip mall/restaurant site on the northeast side of California/Brandon, formally using the address 5252 California SW. Last month, the six-story, 100+-unit project was set for a mid-January date before the Southwest Design Review Board, but now that’s changed – it’s set for the second half of an online doubleheader, 7 pm Thursday, February 2nd. (The first half of the meeting – at 5 pm – will focus on the 7617 35th SW mixed-use project.) Meeting participation info, including how to comment, is here; the official meeting notice (to be published by the city Tuesday) is here; a draft version of the design packet is here. The first meeting is for “early design guidance,” so it will focus on the project’s size, shape, and placement on the site.
Ice and snow didn’t stop the volunteer bakers of West Seattle this holiday season! The photo above is from Ross at West Seattle Coworking, where homemade cookies for The Christmas People were dropped off and packaged during a few days just before Christmas. He reports, “This year we had the goal to collect and distribute 7,000 cookies.The first day we only had about 1,000 cookies. The second day was the great freeze and we only had 2 donors (understandably). Luckily the good-hearted West Seattle community showed up at the very last day and, in what feels like a Christmas miracle, we were able to collect and distribute an additional 5k cookies for a grand total of ~6,000 cookies. All those bakers, and volunteers made a difference for thousands of less fortunate in our area.”
(Photo by Jerry Simmons)
Here’s what you should know os the three-day weekend begins:
LOW BRIDGE OPEN AGAIN: Reminder that the West Seattle low bridge reopened Friday afternoon – but since it’s temporarily operating with one less turning cylinder, if you have to wait for a maritime opening, it’ll likely take longer than it does when running on all cylinders. (The low bridge’s traffic cams are here and here.)
MARATHON TRAINING BEGINS: 8 am at West Seattle Runner (2743 California SW; WSB sponsor):
Kick off your marathon training program for a May marathon! This is a free program, so it is not a comprehensive weekly plan, but will give you a group and workouts to train with 3 days per week! (For those wanting a comprehensive training plan complete with a full week of workouts and training paces, we recommend coaching with P3 Running coaches Michele and Lori via p3running.com) There will be a plan for intermediate and novice marathoners. Contact Lori lori@westseattlerunner.com
SATURDAY MORNING ULTIMATE: 8 am at West Seattle Stadium (4432 35th SW), drop in and play with the West Seattle Ultimate Frisbee Family.
HEALTH INSURANCE, SERVICES, MORE: Big event at Highland Park Elementary (1012 SW Trenton) 10 am-2 pm offering health-insurance enrollment, health services, and other assistance for all community members who qualify.
MORNING MUSIC: 10:30 am-noon at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor), Marco de Carvalho and Friends perform.
SEATTLE CHINESE GARDEN: 10 am-4 pm, the garden’s centerpiece courtyard is open, while the rest of the garden’s grounds are accessible dawn to dusk. More info here. (5640 16th SW)
FREE WRITING GROUP: 10:30 am in West Seattle, registration required – full details in our calendar listing.
DOLL PARTS COLLECTIVE GRAND REOPENING: “Doll Parts is reopening at our new spot (4832 California Ave SW)! We’ll be open 12:00-6:00, and we’ll have snacks, flash tattooing, and as always, plenty of fabulous vintage.”
MY NECESSITEA OPEN HOUSE: Drop in to help My Necessitea celebrate 20 years! Open house noon-4 pm. (3237-B California Ave SW)
VIETNAMESE CULTURAL CENTER: Open to visitors noon-3 pm, as noted here. (2234 SW Orchard)
LOG HOUSE MUSEUM: The home of West Seattle’s history is open to visitors noon-4 pm Saturdays. (3003 61st SW)
WINE TIME: The tasting room at Viscon Cellars (WSB sponsor) – selling wine by the glass or bottle – is open 1-6 pm. (5910 California SW)
MUSIC MATINEE: The Half Brothers play Kenyon Hall (7904 35th SW) at the family-friendly hour of 3 pm.
SONGWRITER SHOWCASE PRESENTED BY MODE MUSIC STUDIOS: 4-7 pm at The Skylark, next to Mode at 3803 Delridge Way SW. See our calendar listing for highlights. Free!
THE SKYLARK GETS LOUDER: Then at 8 pm at Skylark, Fake Hands, anMech, 2Libras, and Headrvsh shake the stage.
ROLLER DERBY! The House Cup at Southgate Roller Rink (9646 17th SW), doubleheader with bouts at 4:30 and 6:40 pm.
OUT AT THE BOX: Enjoy a night of drag and show tunes at Box Bar (5401 California SW), 9:30 pm. 21+, no cover.
Something to add to our calendar – event, class, game, music, theater, comedy, outdoor activity, fundraiser, or … ? Email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
This month’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting offered more than police updates and community Q&A – it also offered the opportunity to learn about an agency you might never have heard of – King County Crisis and Commitment Services. KCCCS has people on duty 24/7, explained Frank Couch, to deal with complaints/allegations about someone who’s become threatening and/or a danger to themselves and/or others. Their potential tool is the Involuntary Treatment Act, which, Couch explained, despite its name, is about public safety, not treatment. Here’s our video of what he told the WSCPC last night at the Southwest Precinct:
Key points from his presentation:
The agency is headquartered in downtown Seattle but serves people countywide, working with more than 30 law-enforcement agencies. Yet to cover all that, they have just 41 people – 6 to 8 crisis responders on duty at any given time, 2 always available by phone to take calls about potential referrals. And right now, they’re short-staffed. Attracting and retaining people is difficult because It’s a challenging job – they are involved in the heat of the crisis and don’t get to see what happens after that. Couch explained, “We’re triaging all day, every day’ – the work is nonstop. But he was clear that they are not “first responders.” They investigate in person and decide if someone needs to be involuntarily detained, for up to 120 hours, after which a hospital can file to keep them for another 14 days or put them on an agreed order.
Keeping people for longer is not a default goal, Couch stressed. “Our job is not only to detain people but also to find less-restrictive options.” Their duty is to protect the patient and community – and to “de-institutionalize” people, compared to the old days of institutionalizing people indefinitely, which is now considered “not appropriate.” People need “a clear path to reintegrate back into the community …. learn to live a productive life.” It’s considered “not appropriate” to institutionalize someone forever.
They may also be called in to evaluate people in jail before they’re released.
Couch explained the decisionmaking progress about whether to “detain” someone – it’s not just law-enforcement referrals, but also the general public, In 2018, the law changed – among other things, references to “designated mental health providers” became references to “responders.” You have the legal right to have a behavioral condition and not be detained for it – but once it becomes a danger to others, or yourself, that’s where this comes in. Complicating matters, though, Couch continued, they run into a capacity problem – there might not be a bed if someone needs it. “We can’t detain unless there’s a bed.” They have to fill out a “no-bed” report if there’s no place for someone to go.
He also offered advice: If you’re reporting someone, tell them everything you can about the person and their behavior rather than trying to make an evaluation/determination – “don’t try to dictate it, just (tell us everything) and we’ll (figure it out) … We don’t detain everyone.” Federal rules limit how many beds a facility can have, he noted in response to a question – you can’t just decide to expand a facility by adding beds. Another question: What can be done about an area with many people likely in danger/crisis, such as an encampment? They deal only with specific individual people who are referred, Couch said.
Contact information for Crisis and Commitment Services is on their webpage.
Some readers asked about the police search this past hour in South Delridge. Police were looking for a man reported to have violated a no-contact order and damaged some items inside his ex-partner’s apartment near 17th/Henderson. No injuries reported. We haven’t heard yet whether they found him or not. (9:44 pm update: So far, they haven’t.)
One year after the modernized north berth at Terminal 5 in West Seattle had its first cargo call, the T-5 project’s “Quiet Zone” component has finally gone out to bid. It’s a package of crossing improvements aimed at reducing the need for train operators to sound their horns along a six-tenths-of-a-mile stretch of track between T-5 and Riverside Mill (specifics are in this followup last July). In the most-recent briefings, in November, NWSA reps said the project was expected to be in bidding by year’s end. SDOT is overseeing the construction so the bidding documents are in the city system, which says bids are due January 25th. This summary of the project estimates the cost at about $5 million. We have questions out to SDOT regarding when they’re expecting construction to start and conclude, given the current bidding timeline.
Family and friends are remembering Gregor Terjung, longtime owner of Terjung’s Studio of Gifts in the West Seattle Junction. Here’s the remembrance they’re sharing with his community:
Gregor Terjung, loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother-in-law, uncle, entrepreneur, artist, craftsman, passed away on the evening of January 9, 2023 at the age of 93 with his family by his side.
Greg was born an only child on September 19, 1929 in a rural area of Chicago, Illinois to immigrant parents from Hamburg, Germany. He spent his boyhood working on local farms and playing in vacant lots joining friends in pranks and antics. He told stories of rubber-band-pistol fights in the local cemetery, making their own ice-skating rinks and racing bikes with Wizard motors.
As a young teenager, he worked mowing lawns. He learned to paint from his pastor’s wife and created several beautiful acrylic pieces that are still hanging in the Terjung home today. He attended a four-year all-boys technical high school in Chicago and graduated in 1948. Soon after, joining the Western Army Antiaircraft Command at Hamilton Air Force Base in California, where he trained and worked as a draftsman preparing maps and charts.
In the fall of 1950, Greg married the love of his life, Gloria Pucci, and two years later left the army. Greg and Gloria eventually settled in West Seattle, finding work as a graphic platemaker, where he held fond memories of his work and co-workers. He also found great pleasure in sharing camping, boating, hiking, surf fishing, and clamming adventures with family and friends.
Finally, in 1969 Greg found an occupation that would serve him well for 50 years – proprietor of a West Seattle gift store. There again, he loved his work and found great satisfaction in serving people and making close friendships. Greg was active in the West Seattle community, serving as president of the “Junction Shopping Center,” was involved in the West Seattle Rotary Club, and acted as president of the Westside Italian Civic Club (despite his German roots).
After retiring at the age of 89, Greg continued to keep busy in his deluxe workshop, making everything from furniture to small toys, gifting most of his work to family and friends.
It was no secret that Greg had a zest for life, was hardworking, generous, patient, adventurous, kind and loved his family with all his heart.
Greg is survived by his wife Gloria, children Gina McCullough Grohs (Ken), Gail Spores (Beldon), grandson Reis McCullough (Azusa), and great-granddaughter Noelle. A celebration of life will be planned for a future date.
Please share condolences, photos and memories with the Terjung Family at emmickfunerals.com/obituary/Gregor-Terjung
Arrangements entrusted to Emmick Family Funeral Home of West Seattle
(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries and memorial announcements by request, free of charge. Please email the text, and a photo if available, to westseattleblog@gmail.com)
4:03 PM: Widespread outage reports. Don’t know yet where it originated. 4400+ customers per Seattle City Light map. Updates to come.
4:06 PM: Wires are reported down at 26th/Juneau. … This is affecting some major intersections such as Fauntleroy/35th and 35th/Avalon so please remember that when the signals are out, it’s an all-ways stop.
4:14 PM: Commenters report hearing three “booms.” (That corresponds with the three flickers we experienced here.) … One more reminder, the “estimated restoration time” you see on the SCL map is only a wild guess, so it’s not anything to take stock in. Basic power-outage advice includes, don’t open your refrigerator/freezer – what’s in them will last longer if you keep the cold air in. More advice here.
4:26 PM: No downed wires were found at 26th/Juneau but a commenter is saying a tree’s down near 25th/26th/Alaska/Hudson. We’re on our way to check that out. Meantime, if you’re hearing a lot of sirens, it’s because power outages tend to set off fire alarms and get people stuck in elevators, both of which result in SFD responses.
4:50 PM: Thanks again for the tips on the tree. Our crew has just gone to that area.
It’s in a somewhat difficult to reach area of a greenbelt near the 4700 block of 26th SW: the initial SCL crew has left to go back for some different equipment to get in and remove it/repair things.
5:13 PM: Power’s back, according to commenters, texters, and the SCL map.
| Comments Off on WEEK AHEAD: Morgan Community Association’s quarterly meeting Wednesday