Richard Fredrick Soth

Richard Fredrick Soth, a well-known Snohomish teacher, coach, and devout Christian, passed away on December 13. He was 86. Richard met Margaret, his surviving spouse and the love of his life, in Bellingham, Washington, while attending his alma mater, Western Washington University. Richard quickly fell for Bellingham native, and they married in 1961. Richard's accomplishments -- his commitment to higher education and lifelong learning, his dedication to his family, and his integrity and consistency of values, citizenship, and faith -- were especially noteworthy given his tough childhood and hard-scrabble upbringing. Richard was abandoned at three years old in Sultan. He bounced between orphanages and foster homes until age 13 when he was placed at the Snohomish farm of Walter and Julia Dunker on Shorts School Road. Richard considered the Dunkers his mom and dad for the rest of his life. Richard worked the Dunker family farm, raising cows and pigs and learning the value of hard work. He reminded his sons of his days walking home from evening football practice to milk cows. Soth played football at Snohomish High under the tutelage and watchful eye of legendary Snohomish coach Keith Gilbertson, Sr., an important mentor to both Richard and his sons. Richard began his teaching career in Darrington before relocating his young family to his hometown of Snohomish in 1965. That year, Richard started his long career in Snohomish School District at Riverview Elementary.

Richard impacted the lives of thousands of Snohomish kids though his teaching and coaching. His 1951 red Chevy pickup was a constant fixture at ball fields and basketball courts in the community. Richard was a rabid Washington Huskies basketball fan; he held season tickets for nearly thirty years at Hec Edmondson Pavilion. Richard was proud of his service to the country and often reminded his friends and family of his time in the Air Force -- "three years, eight months, and ten days," he used to say.

Richard's time in the military matured him, exposing him to the country's diverse people and places and, unfortunately, the ugliness of racism in the United States in the 1950s, which would shape his political views for decades to come. Richard was a longtime member and Deacon of the First Baptist Church and The Bridge Church of Snohomish. In his work with the church, he volunteered annually on missionary projects, helping at his beloved Camp Elohim in Montana, locations in Mexico, and the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina. He was a graduate of Snohomish High School, obtained his teaching certificate and bachelor's degree from Western Washington University, and later achieved a master's degree in school counseling from Seattle University. Richard is survived by his wife Margaret (nee Ashburn); sons Jonathan (wife Kari), William, and Jeffrey (wife Danette); grandchildren Whitney Erickson (husband Will), Madison Merriman (husband Andrew), Tyler Soth, Elizabeth Soth; and great grandchildren Miles, Harvey and Wade Erickson, Anderson Merriman, Emmett and Charli Soth.

Services for Richard Soth will be held at The Bridge Church, 2500 Lake Avenue, in Snohomish at 2pm on Tuesday, December 27.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.bauerfuneralchapel.com for the Soth family.