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Obituaries 2009

Obituaries 2009

Following is a list of obituaries of recent and retired WSU faculty and staff. If you would like to add a "comment" or "photo" honoring one of them, please click on the following link. Your submission will be e-mailed to the WSU Today staff, who will add it to the current article.
 
 
 
Patricia (Pat) Startzel
 
Patricia (Pat) Startzel, a former support person for the WSU Tri-Cities Advisory Committee, lost her three year battle with cancer on Nov. 18, 2009.
 
Pat was born Dec. 16, 1932, in Los Angeles, Calif.,  to Ralph and Marian Palmer. Pat spent her childhood in Southern California where she enjoyed caring for and riding her horse in the hills outside of Los Angeles. Her family moved to her father’s home town, Puyallup, Wash., in 1947. Pat graduated from Puyallup High School in 1950. She then attended Washington State College and the College of Puget Sound.
 
Pat met John Startzel in the fall of 1955. They were married after a three-month courtship on Dec. 27, 1955. Pat and John moved to Texas for his military obligation. After three years of service in the Air Force they returned to Washington where John taught and coached at Sumner High School. In 1963 the family, which by then consisted of four boys, moved to Pullman for John’s graduate work and employment at WSU.
 
Pat’s dream of having a daughter was fulfilled in1969 when the family adopted four year old Stacy. Pat and Stacy became each other’s best friends. After the children started school, Pat worked in the WSU intramural department for 15 years. After 23 years in Pullman the family moved to Richland, Wash.,  where John became director of Admissions at CBC. When Pat left WSU Pullman the university student newspaper published a full-page spread in which Pat was declared “Intramural Mom and the backbone of the department.”
 
In 1987 Pat was hired as the support person for the WSU Tri-Cities Advisory Committee, which had the responsibility of site selection and curriculum for the WSU branch campus. Once the branch campus was established, Pat served as director of student services and coordinator of the General Studies program. Pat was honored in 1992 as one of three university employees to receive the WSU Employee Excellence Award.
 
Pat loved working with students; during her career she developed lasting friendships with many students. The family hosted several International students, many of whom became part of the Startzel family. Pat was strongly committed to assisting students, particularly women who were returning to school as new enrollees. Pat was a firm believer in community service and volunteered her time to various charities and women’s organizations.
 
She was a talented seamstress, enjoyed needle work, loved decorating her home, and was an accomplished gardener. She created many beautiful stained glass projects for family and friends. Upon retirement Pat and John traveled in their fifth wheel throughout the U.S. and Mexico. They also visited Europe several times.
 
Surviving Pat is husband John, sons, David (Shauna), Jeff, Todd (Karol), Doug (Kevin), and Stacy (Chris); seven grandchildren: Danielle (Tod), Breanna, Scott, Brittany, Briley, Brian, Brock; two great grand children: Keaton and Addison; sister, Judy(Jim). She is further survived by cousins, nieces, nephews and many friends. Pat was a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother, and a friend. (for women enrolled at WSU Tri-Cities branch campus)
 
Services will be private.  In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to either the Pat Startzel Scholarship Program (for women enrolled at WSU Tri-Cities branch campus), 2710 University Drive, East 241, Richland, WA 99354, or to the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance at 825 Eastlake Ave. E., Seattle, WA 98109. Thanks for sharing your life and love with us.
 
 
 
Bruce Harding
 
Bruce Harding, retired from Libraries, died Nov. 10. He worked at WSU 1975-1985.
 
 
Ardith Pettibone
 
Ardith Pettibone, retired from ITS Operation and System Services, died Nov. 2. She worked at WSU 1966-1998.
 
 
Robert McLean
 
Robert McLean, retired from English, died Nov. 3. He worked at WSU 1961-1994.
 
 
Arden E. Literal
 
Arden E. Literal, retired from WSU Extension, died Oct. 24. She worked at WSU 1968-1990.
  
 
 
Louis J. Manus, Sr.
 
Louis J. Manus, Sr., retired from Food Science and Human Nutrition, died Oct. 26. He worked at WSU 1946-1973.
 
 
Duane Sorenson
 
Duane Sorenson, retired from Capital Planning and Development, died Oct. 14. He worked at WSU 1967-1990.
 
 
Suzan Hsu
 
Suzan Hsu, WSU Extension educator, King County, died Oct. 10 after working at WSU since 1983.
 
 
Clarence B. Harston
 
Clarence B. Harston, retired from WSU Extension, died Sept. 30. He worked at WSU between 1943 and 1977.
 
 
Leon D. Luck
 
Leon D. Luck, retired from civil and environmental engineering, died Sept. 27. He worked at WSU 1947-1983. 
 
 
Robert Luedeking
 
Robert Luedeking, retired from chemical engineering, died. Oct. 6. He worked at WSU 1956-1982.
 
 
Yoshikiyo Kimura
 
Yoshikiyo Kimura, retired from the Western Washington Research and Extension Center, died Sept. 27. He worked at WSU 1957-1982. 
 
 
Patrick Schierman
 
Patrick Schierman, retired from facilities operations, died Oct. 9. He worked at WSU 1998-2003. 
 
 
Kathleen Elizabeth Sain
 

Kathy Sain, who worked in WSU Libraries Technical Services Division for the past 22 years, passed away on Aug. 4, 2009, at her Pullman home. 
 
Sain was born Sept. 15, 1950, in Colorado Springs, Colo, to James & Maxine (Huff) Sain. She grew up and attended school in Colorado Springs, graduating from Cheyenne Mountain High School in 1968. She began her studies at the University of Colorado in Boulder where she received her bachelor of fine arts degree in 1976. Sain then received her master's degree in fine arts from the University of Puget Sound in 1979.
 
During her master's work, Sain spent a year in Kyoto, Japan, studying pottery as part of her master's program. Upon the completion of her studies, she worked as a teaching assistant, art instructor and graphic artist while living in Tacoma, WA.
 
In 1987 she moved to Pullman, Wash., where she began her career at Washington State University Libraries. Sain began as a Library Technician in the Technical Services Division. Her time in the libraries was all spent in the Technical Services Division where she diligently performed her work in serial record and preservation/binding. Kathleen also was a technical editor for graduate student thesis programs.
 
Sain attended the Community Congregational United Church of Christ in Pullman. She is survived by her sister Linda Sain of Ocala, Fla.  She was preceded in death by her parents. 
 
A memorial service for Kathleen Sain will begin 2 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20, at the United Church of Christ, 525 NE Campus St. All are welcome to attend this celebration of Kathy's life.
 
Memorial donations are suggested to the Whitman County Humane Society, 126 S. Grand Ave., Pullman, WA 99163
 
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-- Marlyn Miller, friend

Kathy was a very good friend and will be missed by all. She gave her life to helping others and in her Practice of Soka Gakkai International (SGI) of over 30 years, she help friends around in America, around Pullman and around the world to understand Nichiren's Buddhism. Her drive for human revolution never stop her, she was self-motivated and knew that she could change even a single individual positively for the larger web of life and the results for all human society. Kathy's movement help make the roots of life-affirming philosophy of Nichiren's Buddhism with individuals deciding to take responsibility for their own lives, first reforming themselves and taking action to improve their immediate surroundings and relations, and then gradually extending their wisdom courage and compassion into a wider sphere. This Kathy knew and did in helping so many.
 
She will be missed by all of us at SGI.

 
Dorothy Z. Price
 
Dorothy Z. Price, 72, a retired WSU professor and Pullman resident, died on Tuesday, Aug. 4, at Pullman Regional Hospital.

 
Lance LeLoup
 
 
Lance LeLoup, who retired in June 2009 after a distinguished career in political science research, teaching and administration at WSU, died July 23 at his home on Whidbey Island. He was 60 and had been suffering from cancer.
 
LeLoup, a highly regarded observer of the state political scene, had most recently served as vice provost of international programs for the university.
 
In his four years at International Programs, external funding for development projects around the world has tripled, the number of WSU students studying abroad has increased by 50 percent, international student enrollment has increased, international partnerships have been strengthened and expanded, and the campus and curriculum have become more internationalized. Under his leadership, the Office of Global Studies was created and the number of global studies minors went from less than five to more than 100.
 
LeLoup came to WSU in1996 to serve as chair of the department of political science, a position he held until 2001. He also served as director of the Thomas Foley Institute from 1998-2001. Earlier this year, he was promoted to the rank of Regents Professor, the first faculty member from political science to achieve that rank.
 
In 2007, LeLoup received the Aaron Wildavsky Lifetime Achievement Award for Research on Public Budgeting. In accepting the award, LeLoup said: “A lifetime achievement award almost by definition forces one to go back and retrace the journey that led to this moment. It has been a journey of starts and stops, of insights and dead ends, a journey of passion and discovery.”
 
LeLoup earned his bachelor’s degree in government from Georgetown and his master’s and doctoral degrees from Ohio State University. He worked as a legislative assistant to the minority leader of the Ohio State Senate before becoming a faculty member at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. After serving as a Fulbright Senior Scholar in Public Policy at Hungary’s Budapest University, LeLoup accepted the position of professor of political science at WSU in 1996.
 
“During my career, I have been easily distracted, not only by new research areas but by leadership opportunities, taking a total of six administrative positions over the past 30 years, including my current post as vice provost. But I have always considered myself a scholar first,” LeLoup said in accepting the Wildavsky award.
 
LeLoup’s in-depth knowledge of the political process, as well as his quick and ready wit, led to his being frequently quoted by reporters seeking insight into current political events in the state of Washington.
 
“Lance’s colleagues will remember him as a true friend, the first to celebrate the successes of others and to offer his support when things did not go well. Even as he accepted heavy administrative responsibilities he offered his time unselfishly to others, sharing his vast experience and knowledge with younger colleagues and graduate students,” said Cornell Clayton, a long-time colleague and friend who is the current director of the Foley Institute.
 
“In the past few days, I have received countless phone calls and e-mail messages from former students and colleagues from around the world, each with a story of how Lance had touched their lives or altered their careers. On Thursday the university community lost not only a respected scholar but an exceptional colleague and true friend who enriched the lives of all those who had the pleasure of knowing him. He will be dearly missed,” Clayton said.
 
LeLoup died surrounded by family and friends. His wife Pam works for the WSU Foundation. Survivors also include his mother Jean, one daughter Molly and two step-daughters Jennifer and Rebecca, a brother Leif and two sisters Laurel and Lynn.
 
A small memorial service was held by family and friends on Whidbey Island. No further services are planned.
 
The family has asked that contributions in his honor be made to scholarship fund they have established through the WSU Foundation. Checks can be written to the WSU Foundation, Lance LeLoup Memorial and can be sent to WSU Foundation, Pullman, WA 99164-1927
 

 
 
Lenoar "Len" Foster
 
PULLMAN — Lenoar “Len” Foster, newly appointed interim dean of WSU's College of Education, died unexpectedly July 3, 2009, at his home in Pullman -- one week after the death of his colleague Dean Judy Mitchell.
 
"This is a profound loss and another tremendous shock to the faculty, staff and students in the College of Education who are still grieving over the June 26 passing of Dean Judy Mitchell,” said WSU President Elson S. Floyd. “Our deepest sympathies are extended to Len’s family and friends, and to our colleagues in the College of Education.”
 
Foster joined the faculty of the Department of Educational Leadership & Counseling Psychology in 2003. He served as associate dean for three years, overseeing administration, research and graduate studies. He was a nationally known researcher whose interests included school principals, school reform, social-cultural influences in schools, higher education, and historically black colleges and universities.
 
Len received three degrees at the University of Nevada, Reno, including an Ed.D. in Educational Administration and Higher Education. He did advanced studies at Stanford University, where he was a William Coe Fellow in American History.
 
His many accomplishments included editing The Black College Review: Research, Policy and Practice. A former high school principal and curriculum coordinator, he was active in the National Association of Secondary School Principals. In 2007, he won the National Service Award from Division A (Administration, Organization, and Leadership) of the American Educational Research Association.
 
(Comments honoring Judy Mitchell can be submitted by clicking here.)
 
 
 
Judy Mitchell
 
PULLMAN – Judy Nichols Mitchell, who served as dean of WSU's College of Education for 11 years, died unexpectedly June 26, 2009, at her home in Pullman. She was 70.

Mitchell was the university’s longest-serving dean and a prominent leader on both state and national education issues. As dean, she oversaw the Department of Teaching & Learning, and Department of Educational Leadership & Teaching Psychology on all four WSU campuses.
 
“Judy Mitchell served Washington State University long and well. She was a leader with great intellectual energy and compassion. She made this university a better place and she will be missed by all those who knew and admired her,” said Elson S. Floyd, WSU president.
 
"Her love, dedication and devotion for Washington State University and the College of Education were unparalleled,” said Associate Dean Len Foster.
 
She is survived by her daughter, Amy Mitchell of Tucson; her son, Ian Mitchell of Chicago; and four grandchildren.
 
Colleagues described Mitchell as tireless. She spent up to 25 percent of her time traveling to raise awareness of and funding for the college, said Kim Holapa, director of development for the college.
 
“She was always willing to hear opinions, even when they differed from hers, and she embraced the different perspectives we all brought to discussions,” Holapa said. “Judy was a caring and attentive dean, putting the needs of the people first in all her decisions.”
 
Doctoral candidate Joan O’sa Oviawe, past president of the Education Graduate Organization (EGO), said Monday she was devastated by the news of Mitchell’s death.
 
“I just keep playing over and over in my head the conversation we had in May, she had been so full of praises for EGO and all our accomplishments as graduate students and we both laughed when she apologized for not been able to hug me because she had a cold,” Oviawe said.
 
During spring semester, the College of Education gained reaccreditation from three major agencies: the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges.
 
“Each successful accreditation visit and subsequent glowing report gave her the opportunity to tout the work of the college and its faculty, staff and students,” said Foster.
 
Those working close to Mitchell said that her happiest roles were as ambassador for the College of Education, and as a WSU sports fan
 
Under Mitchell’s leadership, a number of undergraduate and graduate programs in the College of Education grew in prominence, including statewide doctoral programs in educational leadership, teacher leadership and community college leadership. In 2005, the college dedicated an $11 million, 27,000 square-foot Education Addition, which was linked to existing college facilities in Cleveland Hall.
 
She frequently wrote about issues affecting education and her college. A selection of her columns can be found on her webpage at http://education.wsu.edu/overview/dean/ . Mitchell’s academic research focused on reading comprehension issues, but after becoming dean, she wrote frequently on university administrative and career issues.
 
From 2005-2007 she served as the president of the Council of Academic Deans from Research Education Institutions. From 2004-2006 she was president of the Washington Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. She was also a regular presenter to national conferences on administrative issues.
 
She was writing a book, Seasons of a Dean’s Life, with colleagues from the University of Iowa, Texas A&M Corpus Christi and the University of San Francisco.
 
When named to the deanship at WSU in 1998, Mitchell was serving as interim executive director of the Center for Excellence in Education at Northern Arizona University. At that time, she was on leave from a tenured faculty position she had held at the University of Arizona since 1976.
 
While at the University of Arizona, she chaired the University Commission on the Status of Women and served as a faculty associate in the provost’s office, where she coordinated the university’s first professional development program for department chairs.
 
She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and master’s and doctoral degrees from Northwestern University.
 
Messages of condolence to the family and College of Education can be sent to education@wsu.edu. The family suggests memorial contributions be made to the “Dean’s Excellence Fund” through the WSU Foundation. To make a donation, click here, or contact Kim Holapa at holapa@wsu.edu.
 
The funeral Mass were celebrated July 3 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church with Rev. Jose Millan as celebrant. Burial will take place in Tucson, Ariz.
 
In lieu of flowers the family suggests memorials to the College of Education "Dean's Excellence Fund" through the WSU Foundation. (Comments honoring Judy Mitchell can be submitted by clicking here.)
 
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- Xyanthe Neider, doctoral candidate in the College of Education
 
Dean Mitchell was a remarkable woman, administrator and mentor. I was blessed with the opportunity to work with her in my leadership of the Education Graduate Organization and was so impressed by her generosity to take the time to work with the group. Whenever I would see Dean Mitchell in the hall she always took a moment to ask how I was doing in my program whether it made her a little bit later or not, she took that moment. I feel we all benefitted and learned how to be better colleagues by her example and how to advocate for what we love and respect through her tireless work and love for our wellbeing in the college. She is already greatly and so fondly remembered.
 
- Charles Pezeshki, WSU School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering

I worked with Judy during my tenure as Faculty Senate Chair, and found that she had the utmost respect and concern for all aspects of her faculty's welfare. She was a kind, decent person and she will be missed.
 
 
Graham Gilliland
 
Graham Gilliland, retired from WSU Prosser IAREC, died April 26, 2009. He worked at WSU 1978-2002.
 
 
Remo Fausti
 
Remo Fausti, retired from the speech department, died April 2, 2009. He worked at WSU 1946-1979.
 
 
Celia Fockler
 
Celia Fockler, retired from the CUB, died March 11, 2009. She worked at WSU from 1966-1982 in the Food Service Department and cooked for the Athletics Department.
 
 
Edward Klostermeyer
 
Edward Klostermeyer, retired from entomology, died March 1, 2009. He worked at WSU from 1947-1981.
 
 
Ronald Adkins
 
Ronald Adkins, retired from zoology, died Jan. 14, 2009. He worked at WSU 1966-1996.
 
 
Donald Fisher
 
Donald Fisher, retired from biological sciences, died Jan. 27, 2009. He worked at WSU 1978-1999.

 
 
Thomas R. Nunamaker

Thomas R. Nunamaker, 55, an associate professor of accounting, at WSU Pullman, died Jan. 17, 2009.

Nunamaker was born in Pendleton, Ore., in 1953 to Joseph and Marian Bollerud Nunamaker.

He graduated from Pendleton High School in 1971 and went on to attend Oregon State University at Corvallis, where he majored in business accounting. There he was a member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity and met his future wife, Renee Berg of Albany, Ore.

Tom and Renee married in 1975 just after their graduation from OSU and lived in Portland, Ore., for several years, where he worked as an auditor. Tom returned to school, attending the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where he earned a master's in business administration and a Ph.D. in business accounting.

Their first child, Jeff, was born while Tom was in graduate school.
Tom and his family returned to the Pacific Northwest, moving to Pullman in 1982, where Tom accepted a position on the faculty of the WSU department of accounting. Tom loved teaching, and received many awards and recognition for his excellence in the classroom.

Tom and Renee had their second child, Matt, in 1985. Both their sons attended school in Pullman, since Tom and Renee chose to make Pullman their permanent home.

Tom was honored with a theorem named after him in 2002. Mervin Stone of the Royal Statistical Society, University College London, United Kingdom, developed Nunamaker's Theorem based on work Tom did for his dissertation at the University of Wisconsin. Tom traveled to London to be honored by the University College London.

Tom had a lifelong love for bowling and in addition to being an active league bowler, was part of a group of local families that dreamed, planned, built and operated Zeppoz. He, like the rest of the group, saw the need for family-oriented indoor activities in our community.
He also enjoyed camping, fishing, traveling and cooking.

Tom will be remembered by friends, students and family alike, including his mother, Marian of Pendleton; his brother, Richard Nunamaker of Boardman, Ore.; his sister, Carol Johnson of Pendleton; his wife, Renee; and sons, Jeff and Matt, along with their wives, Megan and Robin, all of Pullman.

His family and friends live in the reassurance of the peace and love that Tom knew would greet him when he temporarily left our side.

A memorial celebration of Tom's life will take place at Zeppoz in the near future.
WSU Today, Washington State University, Pullman WA 99164-1040 | (509) 335-7727 | rfrank@wsu.edu