Joyce Ardella Burlingame

Joyce A. Burlingame (Gullickson - Fagerland), age 84, passed away quietly at her home of 50 years in Shoreline, Washington on September 30, 2015 after a brief battle with cancer. She was born in Noonan, North Dakota on July 11, 1931 to Milo Gullickson and Mabel (Fagerland). She is preceded in death by her husband Donald Burlingame, brother Sam Gullickson, niece Debbie Hansen, and just recently the husbands of her two sisters - Leonard Hansen & Dale Runyon. She is survived by her 3 children, Rod Burlingame of Everett WA, Sheri Burlingame of Ventura CA, and Susan Burlingame of Marysville WA, 5 grandchildren Derek, Dana, Danita, David and Jackson, 2 sisters Loraine Hansen and Marlys Runyon, and 9 nephews and nieces with their growing families all of whom she adored. She was the eldest of the 3 sisters who have been the pillars of this growing family ever since Mabel died.

She lived in Noonan until she was 5 years old, and as the family generally migrated west they spent most of those years in the Spokane, Washington area during the tension filled years leading up to WWII. Milo left the family to go work in Everett, Washington by himself because he didn't think it was safe for the family as it was rumored to be a military target during the Pacific Campaign of WWII. The whole family finally settled in Everett after Milo felt it was safe. Joyce spent many years as a surrogate mother to her younger siblings while Mabel worked outside the home during this period. When she was an adult she moved to Seattle and met her future husband Don doing what she loved to do most of all - dancing at Burt Lindgren's dance hall, they later married on Oct. 3rd 1959.

Joyce worked in an insurance office in downtown Seattle until starting her family and then had her hands full raising 3 energetic children. She spent years volunteering for the PTA, being a den mother, endless driving back and forth to swim team practices, meets, various kids activities and raising charitable funds for Children's Orthopedic Hospital in Seattle. All while she co-founded a dance club with some friends for fun which brought her great joy. She continued her volunteer activities long after her children moved out in various organizations such as the Sons of Norway and the Shriners Nile Temple. She was always asked to serve in some leadership capacity because of her outgoing personality and organizational skills, and she rarely turned anyone down who asked for help. In fact, many people over the course of her life can attest to her tireless efforts to support them in their time of need. She was a selfless saint.

Joyce loved to go bowling, water skiing with Don when they were younger, do crossword and Sudoku puzzles, listen to Scandinavian music and dance the polka and schottische, grow vegetables in her back yard garden, and paint. She even had a small crop of veggies growing in her 84th year before she became ill. She also was an avid collector of handcrafted Norwegian troll sculptures that she often described with a giggle saying they're so cute! During the years following Don's retirement from the Seattle Fire Department the two of them traveled to their hearts content until his death of a heart attack in 1999, usually with a group of friends and to sunny climates away from the Seattle rain. In the years after his death she continued to travel with friends and her sisters as opportunities arose. Don and Joyce also followed the UW Husky football team around the country a few times as they had season tickets for over 50 years. She was always busy with something around the house, charity event, or club activity - she was never idle.

Joyce told Don that she never wanted to move again after moving to Shoreline since she had moved so many times as a young girl with a migrant laborer father - and she got her wish having died peacefully at home with gathered family. She lived her life as if she loved every minute of it, and gave of herself and her time to whomever needed it as if she loved everyone she met. For that reason she will be greatly missed by friends, family and acquaintances alike.