In Memoriam

Lawyer Obituaries

Michael B. Ash, 54
Ash most recently practiced at his own firm in Olympia, where he focused on criminal, family and land use law. He was born in Fort Worth, Texas. Ash was an amateur photographer and sailor.

Delbert J. Barnard, 74
Barnard and his twin brother, Robert, became Eagle Scouts at age 16. He graduated from American University Washington College of Law in 1962. Barnard, who practiced intellectual property law for nearly a half century, was nationally known for his work in patent law. He received the Father of the Year award in 1968 from the Greater University Chamber of Commerce.

Charles Stimson Bullitt, 89
Bullitt was born into a politically active Seattle family. He graduated from Yale University and the University of Washington School of Law. During a World War II Navy stint, Bullitt received a Purple Heart. In 1952, he ran unsuccessfully for Congress, and in 1961 he became president of KING-TV. Bullitt was outspoken against the Vietnam War and made President Nixon’s “enemies list.” He founded Harbor Properties, connecting downtown Seattle to the waterfront. He spent 38 years at Riddell, Williams, Bullitt & Walkinshaw (now Riddell Williams), focusing on environmental and human-rights issues. Bullitt authored several books, including River Dark and Bright, a memoir. He remained an active mountaineer into his 80s.

James M. Cleland Jr., 60
Cleland was born in Seattle and earned his J.D. from the University of Puget Sound School of Law. He spent 12 years in the U.S. Navy, assigned to the Judge Advocate General’s Office, and later served in the U.S. Naval Reserve. Cleland opened a law practice in Mount Vernon.

Richard M. Clinton, 67
Clinton graduated from the University of Wisconsin Law School and from George Washington University with an LLM in taxation. Before joining Dorsey & Whitney in 1999, Clinton worked at Bogle & Gates and the U.S. Department of Justice. He was a co-chair of Dorsey’s antitrust practice group and chair of the firm’s trial group. His cases included the Exxon Valdez litigation. He was a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers’ Alternatives for Dispute Resolution Committee.

James W. Cook, 71
Cook joined the Naval Reserves for seven years, then graduated from the UW in just three years and earned his J.D. at the UW School of Law. Cook began his 35-year legal career at Johnson Johnson & Inslee (now Inslee Best), and later became corporate counsel for several companies, including Burlington Northern and Pacific First Bank.

Gordon Creighton, 80
Born in Yakima and raised in Seattle, Creighton served two years in Japan as an Army paratrooper during the Korean War. In 1954, he earned his degree from UW School of Law, then ran a general practice for 45 years in Seattle and the Eastside.

P. Cameron DeVore, 76
The son of a newspaper editor, DeVore grew up in Spokane. He earned his J.D. at Harvard Law School, then moved to Seattle and joined Wright Simon Todd and Schmechel (now Davis Wright Tremaine), where he remained until his retirement in 2002. He maintained a nationally recognized First Amendment law practice, and successfully argued that advertising should be protected by the First Amendment. Clients included The Seattle Times. He helped develop the joint-operating agreement between the Times and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. DeVore held leadership positions with the American Bar Association and the Seattle Art Museum.

Stephen D. Donovan, 58
Donovan grew up in Bellevue and graduated from the UW, then Gonzaga University School of Law. He ran a private legal practice until Boeing’s legal department hired him to focus on international sales. In 1998, Donovan retired in Thailand.

Richard Dunlap, 79
Dunlap learned multiple languages at Army language school, specializing in Russian. He graduated from the UW School of Law on the G.I. Bill and practiced law in downtown Seattle for 49 years.

Janet L. Eaton, 56
Eaton was raised in Helena, Mont., and received her law degree from the University of Missouri at Kansas City. In 1979, she joined Schroeter Goldmark & Bender; in 1989, she moved with her husband, David, to Mukilteo. Eaton served as an arbitrator in the King and Snohomish County courts, was a devoted mother and wrote about her life in a popular personal blog.

Donald A. Eide, 77
Eide served in Korea with the Navy from 1950 to 1953. While working for Boeing, he earned his law degree at the UW. After a stint in the King County Prosecutor’s Office, Eide opened a private practice. In 1970, he was elected to Aukeen District Court and became a King County District Court presiding judge. He served as president of the Washington State District and Municipal Court Judges Association, and retired from the bench in 1994.

William E. Howard, 70
Raised in Indiana, Howard received his J.D. at the UW School of Law and went to work as an assistant attorney general in Olympia. In 1974, he moved to Port Townsend and opened a private practice before serving as the Jefferson County prosecutor. Howard was appointed the county’s first full-time superior court judge in 1982. He retired from the bench after 18 years.

David H. Hunter of Montlaw, 45
Born Paul David Hovey, Montlaw adopted his mother’s maiden name and the title “Montlaw” to show his devotion to his heritage. He was a court commissioner for the Thurston County Superior Court. He enjoyed researching Scottish coats-of-arms.

Richard Ishikawa, 76
Ishikawa was born in Seattle into a Japanese-American family, which was interned during World War II. When released, his family settled in Spokane, and Ishikawa graduated from Gonzaga University School of Law. After a stint in the Army in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps, Ishikawa tried to find work as a lawyer in Seattle, eventually being hired as a bailiff by King County Superior Court Judge Eugene Wright. Ishikawa later became a prosecutor, then worked in a private practice until his election to the King County Superior Court in 1979, from which he retired in 2000. He returned as a judge pro-tem until 2007. He was the state’s first elected Japanese-American judge.

Grant M. Johnson, 51
An Everett native, Grant earned his law degree at the University of Puget Sound School of Law. He moved to Wenatchee, where he joined Johnson, Gaukroger, Drewelow & Woolett, and became a partner. His leadership roles included positions in the Chelan-Douglas County Bar Association and the WSBA Young Lawyers Division.

Alison M. Jones, 62
A resident of Gig Harbor, Jones graduated from the University of Puget Sound School of Law, then served as assistant chief judge for the Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals.

Jerry F. King, 76
King graduated from the UW School of Law. He worked in the office of Corporation Counsel in the city of Seattle before becoming Vancouver’s first full-time city attorney in 1965 for 29 years. In 2008, the Jerry F. King Lifetime Community Service Award was named in his honor. He served on the Council for the Homeless, helped found the southwest Washington chapter of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, and was a life member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. In 1994, King was presented with the Washington State Bar Association’s Affirmative Action Award.

Jerald A. Klein, 55
Klein graduated from the UW in 1975 and earned his J.D. from the University of Puget Sound Law School in 1978. For more than 30 years, he practiced law at his firm in downtown Seattle.

Gail Marie Lundgren, 53
Lundgren received her J.D. from the University of Puget Sound School of Law. In 1981, Lundgren joined Lee, Smart, Cook, Martin & Patterson before opening a plaintiff’s personal injury practice in 1992. In 1995, she went to work with now-Washington State Supreme Court Justice Tom Chambers. In 1999, Lundgren became the managing partner of Bernard & Lundgren.

David P. Mason, 67
Mason grew up in Seattle. He served as an officer in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War and received a Purple Heart. He graduated from the UW School of Law and practiced in Seattle, then Portland. In 1983, Mason moved back to Seattle and opened a family law practice.

John D. Matthews, 61
Raised in St. Louis, Matthews graduated in 1972 from the University of Michigan Law School. In Seattle, Matthews took a position as a staff attorney with the Washington State Legislature. He later became a senior counsel with Jackson & Wallace.

Craig Nelson, 54
Nelson graduated summa cum laude from Washington State University, then earned his J.D. from Stanford University Law School. He ran a private practice in Wenatchee until 1991, then moved to Centralia and became city attorney, then city manager. In 1999, Nelson took a position with the state Department of Licensing Hearings and Interviews Unit as a hearing officer, eventually becoming the unit’s administrator. Nelson was chair of the Wenatchee Planning Commission and an appointed member of the board of trustees of the Community College District 15 by then-Gov. Booth Gardner.

Phil Noble, 62
A Bellevue resident for 45 years, Noble graduated from UW School of Law. At Helsell Fetterman, Noble focused on employment law and business litigation. In 2000, he was elected to the first of three terms as a Bellevue City Council member. He served on the governing board of the King County Committee to End Homelessness and headed the Eastside Human Services Forum. Noble served on the Bellevue School Board for eight years, including as president.

Jerry Painter, 59
Born in Great Falls, Mont., Painter attended the University of Puget Sound, then graduated from the University of Montana School of Law in 1971. Painter moved back to Washington and worked as an attorney specializing in labor law and education before taking a staff attorney position with the Washington Education Association in 1983. He became general counsel for the association until his retirement in 2008. Painter was a founding member of the Network for Excellence in Washington Schools and was involved in groups including the Governor’s Task Force on School Safety and Youth Violence. He helped push through legislation on school safety and anti-bullying policies.

Brian Anthony Putra, 67
Born in Pasco, Putra earned a degree in psychology from Gonzaga University and a J.D. from Hastings College of Law. He received an LL.M. in taxation from Boston University. He began his legal career at Trethewey & Brink and served as a cooperating attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union. In 1975, he joined Peterson, Bracelin, Young & Putra (now Peterson Young Putra), where he was a plaintiff’s trial attorney until the time of his death. Putra served on the board of governors of the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association and was chairman of the Washington State Bar Association’s Disciplinary Board. He and his wife, Marie, had two children.

Phyllis D. Scheodel, 80
In 1952, Scheodel joined the King County Prosecutor’s Office after earning a law degree from the UW. In 1957, she moved to Spokane and opened a family law practice at a time when there were few female attorneys in the area. In 1983, Scheodel was elected national president of Camp Fire Girls. She retired from the law in 2003.

Stephen F. Schneider, 61
Schneider grew up in Yakima and earned his J.D. from the University of Puget Sound School of Law and a Ph.D. in tax law from New York University School of Law. He worked in private practice in Bellevue. He was a devoted member of Rotary International.

Robert M. Smythe, 77
Raised in Port Angeles, Smythe graduated from high school in 1949. After serving in the Army during the Korean Conflict, he received his law degree from the UW. Smythe served as Auburn’s prosecuting attorney, and also served with the Washington State Superior Court, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court. He was a member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles and the Pierce and King County Bar Associations.

F. Theodore “Ted” Thomsen, 85
After serving in the U.S. Navy, Thomsen earned an engineering degree from Iowa State College in 1947, then a law degree from Harvard Law School in 1950. That year, Thomsen moved to Seattle, where he took a position at the firm now known as Perkins Coie. Thomsen’s clients included Boeing. His passion for the outdoors was renowned. He was a founding member of the Mountains-to-Sound Greenway Trust. Beyond the Cascades, Thomsen climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and hiked the Himalayas.

John B. Troup, 80
Troup and a friend from high school formed a legal partnership that grew into the firm Troup, Christnacht, Ladenburg, McKasy & Durkin in Tacoma. Active in the local and state Bar, Troup was a president of the Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association and served on the WSBA Rules of Professional Conduct and Unauthorized Practice of Law Committees.

Political/Civic Activist Obituaries

Barney Goltz, 84
Harold “Barney” Goltz grew up in Minnesota and attended Macalester College in St. Paul. He helped one of his professors, Hubert Humphrey, become mayor of Minneapolis. In 1957, Goltz moved to Bellingham to become director of student activities at Western Washington University. Goltz, a Democrat, was elected to the state House of Representatives in 1972, representing the 42nd District. Two years later he became a state senator. He served three terms and became president pro tem before retiring in 1986.

Bill Grant, 71
Grant was a fourth-generation wheat farmer in Walla Walla. He graduated from Whitman College, and served in the state House for more than two decades beginning in 1986, one of only a few Democrats to represent rural Eastern Washington. He fought to improve education and advocated for small businesses. He sat on the board of the Walla Walla Community College for nine years.

Steve Hailey, 63
Hailey, a former Army helicopter pilot and third-generation farmer and rancher, was a Mesa Republican. Hailey was president of the Washington Cattlemen’s Association and a member of the Washington Wheat Growers Association. He was elected to the state House in 2006 as a representative of the 9th District.

Wanda Hansen, 87
Hansen lived in Olympia for 19 years with her husband, Sen. Frank “Tub” Hansen, serving as his consultant and assistant. Upon his death in 1991, Hansen was appointed by Gov. Booth Gardner to fill her husband’s vacant Senate seat representing the 13th District. She served through one legislative session and did not seek reelection.

Wayne D. Larkin, 82
Larkin joined the U.S. Coast Guard in 1944. In 1947, he joined the Seattle Fire Department, and in 1952 he joined the Seattle Police Department, becoming a detective. Larkin served as president of the Seattle Police Officers’ Guild and vice president of the Washington Council of Police Officers. Larkin was elected to the Seattle City Council in 1969, for two terms. He relinquished his council seat for an unsuccessful run for mayor, then went to work for a development company. In 2002, at age 75, Larkin received his high school diploma through a state law entitling veterans to the certificate.

Simeon Wilson III, 81
Wilson’s parents acquired The Marysville Globe in 1944 and The Arlington Times in 1964. Wilson graduated from the UW with a master’s in fine arts. After a stint in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War, he began working at the Globe in 1957, and in 1965 he and his sister bought the newspaper company from his parents. Wilson was elected to represent the 10th Legislative District in the state House, which he did for 20 years beginning in 1972. He served as chairman of the House Transportation and the joint Legislative Transportation committees, and as House minority leader. Marysville-based Sun News purchased the Globe and Arlington Times in 1997.

Jeanette Williams, 94
With a passion for music, Williams studied violin at the Chicago Conservatory of Music. She performed with the Chicago and Seattle symphonies, and in Chicago formed a traveling women’s band. After moving to Seattle with her husband, David, Williams in 1969 began 20 years of service on the Seattle City Council, where she was an advocate for gays and lesbians, senior citizens and light rail, and a champion of Magnuson Park. She formed the city’s first women’s commission and helped obtain federal funding for the West Seattle Bridge. She also served as chairwoman of the King County Democratic Party.  L&P