Allen Lee Fancher, known for most of his life as Chip to friends and family, passed peacefully in his sleep during the night of August 12, 2022, at his home in Renton, Washington. He was 76 years old.
Chip was born on April 26, 1946, in Renton, Washington, to Hugh and Maxine Fancher. The third of six children, he graduated from Kent Meridian High School, and received a bachelors degree in business from the University of Washington.
Chip lived a life that was remarkable in many ways. Born with a significant physical handicap that would have overwhelmed most people, he not only lived with enormous challenges, he thrived and achieved many things that amazed friends and strangers alike.
He earned his pilot's license while still a teenager, and pursued his love of aviation throughout his life. For a time, as a young man, he worked in Portland, Oregon, running the parts and service sales department for a regional general aviation operation on Portland International Airport. Later, he was hired by Hultquist Homes, a residential building and land development company that operated throughout Alaska and the Northwest, and rose to the position of general manager, responsible for operations in the entire western Washington region. He spent most of his life in the Renton area, formed many friendships and enjoyed success in both business and his personal endeavors.
Chip more than made up for his physical limitations with his sharp mind. He had an insatiable appetite for learning and was never satisfied with just a superficial understanding of any subject that was important to him. He thought deeply about things that mattered. All of us will remember the lively discussions and debates that he enjoyed so much. Moreover, he was a man of high principles. He never let himself become confused between what was convenient and what was right. Though in principle he was a fan of Ayn Rand and her philosophy of "Objectivism," exalting the rational over the emotional, it really wasn't in his nature. Though he had strong political and philosophical beliefs, in his personal life and relationships, a more caring and unselfish person would be hard to find. Whether a close friend or a complete stranger, everyone who met him quickly understood he was special. He lived his life as a man of character. He was a man of such good reputation that it could rightly be said that you couldn't find anybody who had a bad word to say about him.
Chip was preceded in death by his father and mother, his brother, Gary, and his sister, Lynn. He is survived by his brothers, Terry (and wife Shareen) and Roger, his sister Jane, his nephew Jeff Fancher, his niece Kim Lordier, and numerous other relatives and friends. He will be missed by all who were privileged to know him.
His was truly a life well lived.
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