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Obituaries
. Allard “Al” Roland Johnson
Monday, August 31, 2020. Al passed on gracefully,
in his home in Shelton, Washington, surrounded
by family.
dence, Oregon, to Roland Ernest Johnson and Mary
Elizabeth Rogers Johnson. Al was the younger of
two siblings, his sister Elizabeth Joanne Johnson
(Leahy) having been born in 1927. Al and his sis-
ter Jo spent memorable and formative summers in
King’s Valley, at the family sheep ranch, with his
grandfather ‘Boppo’ and grandmother ‘Nanny.’ In
this early childhood in rural Oregon, bonding with
animals, Al developed the senses of both empathy
and pragmatism that those who knew and loved Al
admired so much in him.
School. He was a bold and adventurous young man, having earned his pi-
lot’s license at age 17, buying an airplane with his good friend Stan
Fitz,
and starting a small business specializing in air delivery and agricultural
to Pullman, Washington to whisk his girlfriend and future wife, Washington
State College coed Gloria Deane Gray (with whom he had graduated from
high school), home for the weekend. On this flight in Al’s small
aircraft, the
young couple met unexpected inclement weather, which forced them to alter
their heading and altitude, which in turn _ran them dangerously low on
fuel.
Ever resourceful and determined, Al made a successful emergency landing
near Gig Harbor, and the young couple lived to tell the story with
fondness.
In 1948, Al and Gloria were married.
From 1952 to 1954, Al served in the US. Navy, CB Battalions, in Guam,
the Marshall Islands, and Adak, Alaska. Everywhere he was stationed, Al
was instrumental in either building or renovating electrical service infra-
structure. , .
In 1953, Al and Gloria celebrated the birth of their first son, Michael
Evan. I
Their second son, Mark Allard, followed in 1955, and their third son, Kevin
Dean, in 1957.
In 1959, Al, his wife Gloria, and their three boys climbed in an Oldsmobile
station wagon and headed north on the wild and arduous Alcan Highway, as
Al took work in Alaska. Drawing upon his overseas experience in the Navy,
A Al built a hydroelectric generating plant in Tok, Alaska.
Al and his family returned to their roots in Washington in 1961, and Al
' try. He began fabricating panels, fencing, and vacation homes. In
1964, A1
set up a lumber manufacturing operation on Johns Prairie, in Shelton. In
the following years, operations would expand to employ hundreds of people
at five sites in three Washington counties, until the economic crunch of
the
early-1980s.
In the early—1980s, Al began a new chapter in life. After Al and Gloria
divorced in 1982, Al remarried Mary Kirk in 1983, blending his family with
hers, welcoming with open arms Mary’s daughters Shannon and Stefanie.
Al also began another bold business venture in 1983, forming Cascade For-
est Corporation with three other partners: his wife Mary, his son Mike, and
Wes Peters. For the next decade, Al presided over the successful growth of
Cascade Forest, then sold the business and retired in 1992. i
From 1992 to 1997, Al and his wife Mary embarked on an adventurous re-
tirement. Among other travels, they boated the Inside Passage from Wash-
ington to Alaska. They were often joined by other family members at differ-
ent stops in these maritime travels, always delighted to share a glass of
wine
and a sunset over the water.
fully operate the business until 2020, when his cancer prognosis
necessitated
the final sale of the company he had built. During his long career in the
lum-
ber business, many of Al’s family members made livings in his companies,
' including his sister J 0, all three sons, and his daughter Shannon.
Al is survived by his three sons, Mike, Mark, and Kevin; his two daugh-
ters, Shannon and Stefanie; six nieces and one nephew; fourteen
grandchil—
dren; and fourteen great-grandchildren. Al was preceded in death by his
parents, Johnny and Beth; his sister, Jo; his first wife, Gloria; his
wife, Mary;
his grandson Ryan; and his nephew David Leahy.
_Those who were fortunate enough to know Al remember him as being ’
thoughtful, and as being courageous and determined when he made deci-
sions and set his‘mind to them. He attributed his' success in
business to
flexibility and resourcefulness, although those who worked with Al might
consider that understated. Always articulate, and always credible, Al had
an
uncanny ability to rally his business associates to solutions for seemingly
in-
} surmountable problems. To family, Al was the patriarch: warm, loving, and
generous. He was a man who could relate to anyone in his acquaintance, re-
gardless of age or background, with sound advice and a keen sense of humor.
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Allard “A1” Roland Johnson, age 91, died on =
Al was born on November 13, 1928, in Indepen- .
family and working with livestock and other farm 1
In 1937, Al’s family moved to Shelton, Washington, where Al would spend
'
. most of the rest of his life. In 1946, Al graduated from Irene S. Reed
High .
services. On one Friday afternoon in 1947, Al hopped in his plane and flew
.
soon began what would be a long and successful career in the lumber indus-
In 1997, Al took back Cascade Forest Corporation, and he would success- .
Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020 — Shelton-Mason County Journal Page A-35
Dudley Panchot
“It’s a glorious day!” he proclaimed on Mon-
day morning the 24th of August: Walking his dog
on the beach that afternoon, his big heart failed.
Dudley lived a life of full of family, friends, travel,
" skiing, boating, and volunteering with his beloved
wife, Anne.
He cherished his family, friends, the Harstine
'_ Island community, and colleagues. He was admit—
ted to the bar of the State of Washington in 1956
and later became a partner of Wolfstone, Panchot
& Bloch and of counsel to Keller Rohrback in 2015.
Dudley had a tremendous capacity for living
fully in the moment. He was known for his bari-
tone voice, hearty laugh, and wonderful stories.
He readily listened and gave legal, financial and
moral support. He believed all humans had value
and deserved dignity. He served Easter Seals, Friends of Youth, Downtown
Seattle YMCA, Bellevue First Congregational Church, Harstine Island Com-
munity Club and Senior Lawyers Section of the State Bar Association.
, Born February 25, 1930 in Yakima to Marion and Kenneth Panchot, he
met Anne while volunteering at a YMCA event. They attended the University
of Washington and married in 1950. Survived by his wife, Anne and children:
Nonie (Bill) Whalen, Jeanne (Mark) Turner, Marianne (Charles) Kuehnell,
' John Panchot. Children of the heart: Frank (Carol) Didier, Li (Mick)
Clarke.
Grandchildren: Billy (Emily) Whalen, Kaylie (Andrew) Braunstein, Melissa
Still,_David Kuehnell (d. 2008), Sylas Panchot. Great grandchildren: Owen,
Noah, Liam, Finn Dudley and 3-week old Riley Marie. Cousins: Margaret Vi-
tagliano, Kenneth Moon. Brother from another mother: Ken (Margie) Bloch.
There will be no service but please consider donating to the new Shelton
YMCA.
Michael Erln Kirk
Michael Erin Kirk passed peacefully at home,
with his loving wife by his side, on Monday, Au—
gust 31, 2020, after a brief battle with Metastatic
Pancreatic Cancer. Mike was born October 1, 1940
' in Seattle, Washington to Erin Michael and Helen
Marguerite (Pallett) Kirk. At the age of four, he
moved with his family to Hoodsport Where he was
raised enjoying Hood Canal, Lake Cushman, and
the Olympic Mountains. He graduated from Irene
S. Reed High School in 1958. Mike enlisted in the
US. Navy on July 9, 1958 and was stationed at
Moffett Field, CA as an Aviation Structural Me-
chanic H Second Class.,He received commenda—
tions for being top in his aviation class and for
several overseas operations. In 1961, he entered
the Naval Reserve and was honorably discharged
on July 8, 1964.
Mike was married to Mary Eloise (Hesser) Kirk from 1963 until 1983 and
together they raised their two daughters, Shannon and Stefanie, in Hood-
sport. He relished in his girls’ upbringing, supporting them in all that
they
,did. The young family enjoyed time spent at their cabin on Lake Cushman
and living aboard the “Moonshadow”, a 13-meter Flying Dutchman
sailboat.
Mike worked in-Various industries including timber, real estate, and con-
tracting. His early ambitions included developing the Kirk commercial build
ing, which housed the Hoodsport Ranger Station, to designing and building a
hydroelectric plant to power the Staircase Ranger Station. He was a
talented
individual who took satisfaction in mastering his varied pursuits.
At the age of 51, Mike retired and set out on the road with Deborah Kay
Banister, as they enjoyed a life of wanderlust. They were married on Decem-
ber 12, 1993 in Las Vegas, NV, and over the next dozen years, would travel
the United States and Canada in a motorhome Mike had built for them.
They especially enjoyed their summer trek to Alaska and fall trip to Nova
, Scotia, savoring the beauty of nature and time spent together. Mike was
an
adventurous soul who enjoyed scuba diving in exotic locations such as
Belize
and Honduras, piloting aircraft and skippering every kind of boat, riding
his '
Harley, game hunting and shooting guns for sport.
After returning to the Pacific Northwest in 2002, he and Deborah settled
in Port Angeles where they built their home in the Black Diamond area. He
began work again as a general contractor, building and remodeling many
homes. Mike was known for his creativity, expert custom craftsmanship, and
;
superior quality of work. He continued building until age 76 when a stroke
slowed his physical pace. It Was then that he and his wife returned to
travel-
ing, Spending winters in Arizona and summers in Port Angeles.
Mike was a self-made man who lived life to the fullest and on his own
terms. He was the quintessential Irishman with a bright wit, flashing
smile
and teasing sense of humor. He enjoyed many friendships and was loved
dearly by his family.
Mike was predeceased by his parents, Erin and Helen, and a sister, Do- ‘
lores Kirk, O.P. He is survived by his wife, Deborah Kirk of Port Angeles;
daughters Shannon (Greg) Twiddy of Shelton, and Stefanie (Mark) McDou-
gall of Hoodsport; grandchildren Kyle Twiddy, Colton Twiddy, Riley Erin
: McDougall, and Kelsie Dooley; great-grandson, River Dooley, and numerous
.
members of Deborah’s family who became family to Mike. Due to the current
, COVID restrictions of gatherings, a Celebration of Life will be announced
at
a future date.In the meanwhile, his family requests you raise a glass in
his
honor. '