Adele and Heath Guptill

Adele M. Guptill was born in Leavenworth, Washington on April 21, 1920 to Albert and Anna (Grue) McKeown. She was the youngest of 3 siblings, the oldest being brother Forrest followed by second brother Gayle (Mac). When she was about 4 years old, the family moved to Bellingham where Albert ran Grue's Groceries by the waterfront. They later moved to Seattle.

Heath Reese Guptill was born in Seattle, Washington on June 1, 1917 to Forest Putnam Guptill and Lenore (Reese) Guptill. His sister Eugenia (Gene) was born about 10 years later.

Heath discovered from his grandfather, Nathaniel Heath Guptill (1855-1940), who married Carrie Orilla Putnam, that he is an ancestor to General Israel Putnam of Revolutionary War fame of the Battle of Bunker Hill ("don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes").

Heath and Adele attended Roosevelt High School in Seattle where they met while working on the "Stage Force" crew building sets for the theatre department. They also enjoyed singing in the choir. Adele and Heath also attended the University of Washington where Heath got a B.S. in Electrical Engineering in 1939. He also entered a Masters program before the start of WWII. Heath and Adele married on October 20, 1942 and lived briefly in Schenectady, New York where Heath had a job at GE, as well as the Naval Research Lab in Washington, DC (working on the then secret radar project). They later moved back to the West coast where they had 2 sons. Summer vacations were often spent camping or visiting family in the Seattle area. In L.A. Heath worked at Hughes Aircraft until his retirement in 1973. Wanting to move back to the Northwest after raising their family in the LA area, they built their new home in Bothell, Washington in 1974 where they lived until March, 2008.

After retirement, Heath and Adele enjoyed a busy life and traveled to Norway, England, Ireland, Hawaii and cruised the Inland Passage to Alaska. Adele enjoyed bicycling and they were both long-time members of the Bothell Senior Center "Gourmet Bicycle" riding group. Adele would ride all over the King county area and after the rides, the group would meet for a hearty lunch. Heath would act as their "sag wagon", assist with repairs and "sweep" the course for people needing a ride back to the starting point. Heath also joined the Seattle Sail and Power Squadron to further safety education in small boat seamanship and navigation. They enjoyed a wonderful sail into Princess Louisa Inlet - a place he remembered going to when he was a Boy Scout. They both had a zest for life and enjoyed sailing and being out on the water in the Sound, as well as attending various plays, Civic Light Opera, and World Cavalcade travel presentations with friends.

They have 6 grandchildren, and 8 great grandchildren. They used to rotate and "trade off" hosting Christmas gatherings either at their home in Bothell or at their son's homes in the LA area or in Oregon. Their out of state families would also come visit and enjoy the liberal policy on fireworks at the Fourth of July in Bothell.

Heath was a voracious reader and loved science fiction. He also enjoyed tinkering with electronic or wood projects in his garage workshop. He created various functional works of art and enjoyed being a "handyman" around the house. Adele worked briefly as an administrative assistant at UCLA and taught Sunday school. She was the consummate home-maker and hostess and tried numerous new healthful recipes on the family; many successful ones have been handed down to their children. Adele had a gigantic vegetable garden, growing fruits and vegetables for their table. She was also an accomplished seamstress and enjoyed sewing and knitting, creating numerous functional outfits and pieces for her family.

They were still very much in love and devoted to each another after almost 69 years of marriage! At one point before giving up driving, Heath drove into Bothell to get a Mother's Day card for his bride - one of his last independent "errands".

In the last several years, Heath's health declined as a result of dementia and a stroke, but Adele was his constant companion and caretaker to the end - Heath called her "his angel". Heath passed away July 18, 2011 in Bothell. He was much loved by his family and friends who will miss his lively conversations and good company with him. In all, he was a compassionate, intelligent and ethical person throughout his life.

Adele always had a sparkle in her eyes and was loved and admired by her family as well as friends at her assisted living facility. Her family wondered where she got her strength and determination, but she passed away July 16, 2012 in Bothell, WA after battling non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. She was compassionate, loving, determined and righteous throughout her life. Their family and friends will miss them both very much.

May they rest in peace at Evergreen Washelli in Seattle, together again.