All Obituaries

Anita Marie Christian, 83, former Tacoma resident, passed away on Tuesday June 22 in Vancouver, WA. Anita was born January 1, 1938 to Halvor and Lillian Gregersen in Santa Barbara, CA where she spent her early years.  She was baptized in the Danish Lutheran Church in Solvang, CA. At age 11, Anita moved to Canby, OR. She sang in the school choir and graduated from Canby High School in 1955. She was a member of Zoar Lutheran Church in Canby. After high school, Anita moved to Tacoma to...

Ted P Fix Sr., a resident of Dash Point, Washington for 10 years, was born on July 7th 1940 in Astoria Oregon. Ted’s first passion was the United States Marine Core where he served with honor and compassion. Later in life he went to work for General Dynamics where he serviced the Striker vehicles for the military. Afterwards he went into business for himself and finished out his working years in construction. He loved to spend his free time fishing for salmon, working on vehicles and...

Joanne Soltis, 77, of Tumwater, WA died June 5, 2021 with her brother and niece by her side. Joanne was born March 27, 1944 in Tacoma, WA to Joseph S.P Soltis and Anna H. Soltis. She lived most of her life at Rainer State School in Buckley and later moved to Miner House (a SOLA Group Home) in June 2018. Joanne loved visits from family, hamburgers and milkshakes and always welcomed the singing of “Jesus Loves Me”. Joanne is survived by her brother Les Soltis (Kathy) of Auburn, WA...

Helen Andrea Gorenson, longtime resident of the Midland area, died on July 3, 2021.  She was 80 years old.  Born in Tacoma, Washington on November 24, 1940, two years after her brother Lloyd, she was the youngest child of Osmund and Mabel Marvik.  Helen was a true Washingtonian, growing up in the city of her birth and attending Franklin Pierce Schools.  Eventually she graduated from Franklin Pierce High School in 1958.  Helen’s life was filled with passion,...

Earl Joseph Michalke Sr., 89 of Tacoma, passed away at his daughters’ home in Roy. Earl was born March 13, 1932, in Chicago, IL to parents Frank and Marie Michalke. Earl is preceded in death by his wife Edith Ann Michalke. He is survived by his sons, Michael, Donald and Earl Jr and daughter Robin, numerous grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great great grandchildren. Earl will be remembered as a great father and grandfather.

Jim Leisner was born in the small town of Halsey, Nebraska on August 30th, 1927 and passed away on June 9th, 2021. He grew up in rural parts of that state and always wanted to travel and see as much of the world as he could. He was able to do just that when he joined the Navy during World War II. He was on the island of Guam when the war ended and spent the rest of his two year tour in Japan and parts of China. He then joined the U.S. Air Force where he was in communications and spent time...

John Tass Espiritu took his last breath on June 1st, 2021 at Madigan Army Medical Center after a long, hard battle with COVID-19. John was born in ­­­­Tumuning, Guam on December 17 1959. He is the third youngest of 7 siblings, his parents being Mary Ogo Tass and Nicomedes Bautista Espiritu. In 1978, John chose to serve his country and join the United States Navy, where he was able to venture many new countries and cultures. After years of service and travel, John would be...

Steve Kelley (Douglas Stephen Kelley) passed away on May 20th, 2021. He was born in San Diego on January 4th, 1932. Steve served in the Army, Navy, and retired from the Coast Guard Reserves.  He met his wife Audrey in Portland, OR and married in 1956. Steve often said “My life began when I married Audrey.” They moved their growing family to Bellevue, WA in 1963 where they joined the St. Louise Parish and were active community members for more than 60 years. They were both...

James Miller “Bags” Bagley, 73, of Spanaway, Washington, passed away peacefully at home on May 11th, 2021. He accepted Jesus into his heart in 1992 as his personal Savior and knew when he took his last breath here on earth he would be in the arms of the Lord.  He was born on December 5th, 1947, in Aberdeen, Washington to Norman and Juanita Miller Bagley.  Jim was a graduate of Hoquiam High School, from the “infamous” Class of 1966. After graduating, he was...

Anna W. Bailey, of Tacoma, Washington, passed away on May 5, 2021.  She was 79 years old.  Born on March 15, 1942 in Charleston, Illinois to Glen and Lois Walker, Anna spent her early life surrounded by family.  This was a tradition she upheld into adulthood.  First, as an attentive mother to Kelly, Rick, Lisa, Sean, and Travis, who always attended extracurricular activities, then later to her grandchildren and great grandchildren.  After raising her family and...