09/24/2026
This week we said our final goodbye to my father, Bob.
He was my true North Star and everything I have done, I did to make him proud.
My dad was incredible and unmatched in fatherhood. He taught me to have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, how to build and make things with my hands, how to keep looking forward in the darkest hour, how to fish & crab, how to pan for gold, how to grow my own food, how to care for our earth, how to identify rocks & plants, and how to pass along knowledge to anyone nearby.
He taught me to be humble and how to work hard. He showed me endless patience and compassion.
He was deeply generous with his time and knowledge. He volunteered for 15 years with United Way to do taxes for our low income immigrant community. He volunteered with the Marine Resource Committee to help preserve the ecosystems of our beautiful Salish waters. He had plans to volunteer with seniors to explain medical benefits as he navigated the medical system himself.
He was an adventurer who traveled from the East Coast to the West chasing mountains and rocks. He walked across the Grand Canyon in a day and hiked The Grand Teton Peak in jeans. As a geologist he mined ore and precious metals. He explored forests looking for treasures from the earth. He descended deep into mines digging up silver and minerals. He created an algorithm using core samples to trace ore deposits through the layers of Mount Baker. He was dropped by helicopter into the Wilderness of No Return to find uranium. He was fearless and smart.
Working with the City of Everett he built parks. He put care and fun into every corner, prioritizing accessibility & play for all abilities. Wheelchair access on merry-go-rounds, less static on slides for cochlear implants, support on swings for muscular differences, tactile play away from the crowds for nuerodivergences. He cared so much.
He was so funny. Always finding the joke in any moment. He gave us scavenger hunts and LOVED surprises. He would make us crack secret codes to know where we were going on vacation or figure out puzzles to get our presents open or follow coordinates to our Easter eggs.
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