The Catholic Northwest Progress, with assistance from Associated Catholic Cemeteries, will print the obituarties
of Catholics whose funerals are held in archdiocesan parishes free of charge on a space available basis.
Online Notification

David Edward Bassen

WINTHROP David Bassen, a former member of St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Federal Way, died April 8 of cancer. He was 69. He was born in Seattle and grew up in Rainier Valley. In 1958 he joined the Air Force and served with the Military Airlift Service. Following the military he worked with Alaska Airlines for 35 years. Upon retiring in 1998, he worked at The Boeing Company for three more years. Mr. Bassen had a lifelong love of airplanes and flying, and also was an avid amateur radio operator. In 2001 he and his wife Joan retired to a house they built in Winthrop. He stayed active volunteering at the local food bank and Methow Recycles, and he attended St. Genevieve Church. He was preceded in death by his son Matthew. Survivors include his wife of 43 years, Joan; children Gerry, Paul, Mike, Cathie Rohleder, Debbie, and Teresa LaRoe; and seven grandchildren. Remembrances may be made to the Twisp Food Bank, PO Box 895, Twisp, WA 98856.

Lula Busler Carvo

BURIEN Lula Carvo, a member of St. Francis of Assisi Parish, died April 10. She was 82. She was born in Seattle and graduated from West Seattle High School. After high school she moved to Burien. She enjoyed traveling, camping and gardening. She is survived by her husband of 63 years LaVerne Capro; son Tom and daughter Michelle; 10 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. A funeral Mass was celebrated April 16 at St. Francis of Assisi Church.

Benjamin Colobong

MARYSVILLE Benjamin Colobong, a member of St. Mary Parish, died April 7 of cancer. He was 75. He was born and raised in the Philippines and received his law degree from the Manuel L. Quezon University. He moved to Western Washington 19 years ago from New York City. He enjoyed writing, gardening and traveling. He was preceded in death by his wife Clarita. Survivors include sons Benjamin, Jr., Ben John and Benjim; daughter Judy; and seven grandchildren. A funeral service was held April 16 in the Evergreen Washelli Chapel.

Eleanor Crossland

SEATTLE Eleanor Manuel Crossland, a member of Our Lady of the Lake Parish, died March 22. She was 87. She was born and raised in the Detroit area and worked at Cranbrook School. A friend urged her to move to Seattle. She loved the beauty of the mountains and water, and enjoyed hiking and camping. She worked for many years as a public health nurse then began raising their five children with her husband, Frank Crossland, Jr. In later years she worked at Children’s Orthopedic Hospital and at Fircrest. She was active with the Audobon Society, Seattle Art Museum and volunteering for Elder Hostel. Survivors include her sons Bill of Seattle and James of Boulder, Colo.; daughters Patty Crossland-Brooks of Seattle, Virginia Heffern of Juneau, Alaska and Mary Oliver of Norman, Ok; and nine grandchildren.

Robert Griesbach

SEATTLE Robert Griesbach, a longtime Seattle resident, died Feb. 9 of respiratory failure. He was 87. He was born in Eugene, Ore., and moved to the Seattle area from Wisconsin in 1945. He was employed as a master model maker at The Boeing Company before retiring in 1985. As a member over the years of St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Federal Way and St. Edward Parish in Seattle, Mr. Griesbach volunteered for the St. Vincent de Paul Society and area food bank. For recreation, he enjoyed making crosses from wood collected from around the world, as well as gardening and reading. He was preceded in death by his wife, Jean. Survivors include his son Philip of Scottsdale, Ariz.; daughters Barbara Burch of Fairbanks, Alaska, Joanne Thompson of Rockport; and Emily Lunde of Seattle; eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. A funeral Mass was celebrated April 17 at St. Vincent de Paul Church.

Mary Koessner

TUCSON, ARIZ. Mary Koessner, a former Seattle resident, died Feb. 26 from complications after surgery. She was 90. She graduated from Seattle University in 1939 and after her marriage in 1944, she moved with her husband, Ed Koessner, to various locations in the U.S. as well as Jamaica and Indonesia where he worked as a civil engineer. They returned to Bellevue when he retired in the 1970s. She relocated to Tucson following his death in 1984. She tutored foreign students, and enjoyed playing bridge, reading and traveling. Survivors include her son Harold of Skokie, Ill.; and daughter Kathy Ward of Tucson.

Normita Santos Lim

SHORELINE Normita Santos, a recent Seattle resident, died March 29 of heart failure. She was 66. She was born and raised in Manila, Philippines and later lived in New York and Portland before relocating to the Seattle area several years ago. Once settled in Shoreline, although she was in poor health, she attended St. Mark Church when she could. Her family commented that her favorite pastime was spending time with her beloved grandsons, Ethan and Dylan. Other survivors include her daughters Victoria Ross of Kirkland and Theresa Chin of Newcastle. A memorial service was held April 3 at Holyrood Cemetery in Shoreline.

Richard Lee McDermott

EDMONDS Richard McDermott, a member of St. Thomas More Parish in Lynnwood, died April 6 of lung cancer. He was 68. A native of Canton, Ohio, he served in the U.S. Navy from 1961-65, and moved to Washington from Colorado in 1998. Mr. McDermott, who retired in 2002, was an extraordinary minister of holy Communion at his parish and a member of the Welcome Back Committee. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus and a volunteer at Catholic Community Services’ Matt Talbot Center, and with the Puget Sound Blood Drive. He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Amy (Kiper) McDermott. A funeral Mass was celebrated April 16 at St. Thomas More Church.

Joseph A. Panzino

SEATTLE Lifelong resident Joseph Panzino, a member of Our Lady of Mount Virgin Parish for more than six decades, died April 14 of cancer. He was 92. A graduate of Garfield High School, Mr. Panzino worked for the government as a computer programmer. At his church, he enjoyed the responsibility of displaying the hymn numbers for the 8 a.m. Sunday Mass. He enjoyed golf, bowling and traveling with his wife, Betty, up to her death in 1997. He is survived by his daughter Robin Wardstrom; two grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. A graveside service was held April 18 at Calvary Cemetery.

Paul Edward Pflueger

BELLINGHAM Paul Pflueger, formerly of Burien, died peacefully on Apr. 16. He was 85 and had lived in Bellingham the past three years. He is remembered by his family with having “a logical, open-minded, spiritual acceptance of life.” He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and was captain of the USS LCI 702 at the age of 21. He married his wife, Babe, in 1946, and they settled in Seattle. He had a long career as a physicist with The Boeing Company. But his top priority was his faith in God and spending time with family and friends. They said they will miss his barbecues and philosophical discussions. Mr. Pflueger was preceded in death by his son Lee. Survivors include his wife of 61 years; sons Tim and Gary; daughters Sue and Kathy; 17 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. A funeral Mass was celebrated April 21 at St. Bernadette Church in Seattle.

Ruth Higgins Suchoski

SEATTLE Ruth Suchoski, a member of St. Anthony Parish in Renton,  died April 14. She was 96. She was born and raised in Glastonbury, Conn. She worked as a public health nurse and since she often cared for Italian patients, she took an Italian language class.  That is where she met Joe Suchoski, who was of Polish descent and Catholic. She converted to Catholicism upon their marriage in 1939. She had an interest in helping Alaskan native people, so she and her husband took a bus across the country and then a boat up to Alaska where she continued working as a nurse. However as the threat of war appeared in the Aleutian Islands, they moved with their young son, Joe, Jr. and relocated to Seattle. As their family grew, Mrs. Suchoski also cared for foster children through Catholic Charities until they were placed in permanent homes. After her youngest daughter, Mary, was in school, she returned to school for her R.N. degree and subsequently worked for many years at the Kline Galland Home. She attended Mass daily, prayed the rosary, and was active in the choir, Bible study and Altar Society at St. Anthony’s. For recreation, she especially enjoyed painting classes, which kept her interest even as she became ill in later years. She enjoyed giving many of her works away to friends and family. She also traveled extensively, including trips to Europe, South America and Asia. She was preceded in death by her husband, Joe, who died in 1980. Survivors include her children Joe, John, David, Ruthie and Mary; 13 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren. A funeral Mass was celebrated April. 19 at St. Anthony Church.

Betty Louise Webb

AUBURN Betty Webb, a member of Holy Family Parish, died April 13. She was 82. She was born in Seattle and attended Immaculate Conception School. She later worked as a clerk at The Boeing Company. She enjoyed ceramics and collecting salt and pepper shakers. She was preceded in death by her son, Michael. Survivors include her husband, Lee Webb, whom she married in 1946; sons Joe, Tim, and Jon; daughters Judy Rice, Carol Brittner, Sheila Fansler, Nancy Church and Marybeth Pounder; 21 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great-grandchild. A funeral Mass was celebrated April 21 at Holy Family Church.