John Earl Van Orman

Born April 22nd, 1937, to Daisy Van Orman. Earl grew up in Seattle, playing stick ball and learning to ride bikes in the Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle. His family later relocated to the north end of King County where his mother Daisy married his step-father, Uriel See.John attended Bothell High School and subsequently began work with the Port of Seattle where he remained a faithful employee and member of local teamsters #174 until his retirement in 1995.

On June 27th 1954, he married his high school sweetheart, Nancy Wierschem and together they raised two daughters, Debbie Marie (Sidley) and Elizabeth ( Hennick). He and Nancy remained inseparable until his death, celebrating sixty-nine years of marriage.

In addition to his career commitment to the Port of Seattle and the teamsters local 174. Earl enjoyed many years of involvement with Longacres, (later named Emerald Downs) and proudly shared ownership in several thoroughbred racing horses including Cardiac Prince, Prince Cactus, and Frenchies Kay. As well as a love for the ponies, Earl was an enthusiastic golfer with memberships at Echo Falls in Snohomish WA, and Roadhaven in Apache Junction AZ. He was an enormous University of Washington football fan, (holding season tickets for nearly a decade), and was an honorary Hawaiian, having visited the islands nearly fifty times.

Not only was John "Earl" Van Orman our family patriarch, he was also our greatest supporter. Traveling with his daughters, Golfing with his grandsons, attending sporting events, and babysitting his great-grandkids. He was unwavering in his encouragement and unconditional with his love.

Earl is preceded in death by his parents and his siblings, Alvin, and Don, as well as his grandson, Jon Michael Hennick. He is survived by his wife Nancy, his daughters Debbie Sidley (Mark) and Elizabeth Hennick, his grandaughter Crystal Cecil (Jamie), his grandsons, Brandon Magee, and Mat Hennick (Dina), as well as his great-grandchildren, Chandler, Zoe, and Ruby Cecil of North Carolina and Katie and Samantha Magee of Arizona.

Going forward, we will forever miss his humor and his critiquing of our culinary choices and skills. We will be reminded of him whenever we see someone sitting with a daily newspaper. We will share a lifetime of photographs and a family tapestry woven of travels and special times spent together. Mostly, we will revel in a legacy that springs forward because of a devoted husband, father, and grandfather, and his unwavering commitment to his family.