Yesterday's Neighbors: We Miss You

Memorial Day arrives and with it a confession: I'm addicted to the death and funeral notices. The small-print notices in the paper reveal so much about people who once lived here.

As I read, I'm always touched. Sometimes I even shed a tear. There are so many of yesterday's neighbors I wish I had known. A few this past year:

Beryl Brandmarker, who died Dec. 7, 1998, was born in Perth, Australia, and started singing at 11. After her husband was killed in World War II, she resumed her career. She moved to New York City with her second husband. Columnist Walter Winchell called her "the first GI bride to make Broadway." The family moved to Seattle in 1958. In 1966 she opened Picadilly Corner at the Olympic Hotel, leading sing-alongs six nights a week.

Harriett Ruth Eggers made her "final curtain call" June 17, 1998. In the 1930s and '40s, as Harriett Adair, she played piano and whistled on stage and radio and with the Paul Whiteman Band. During her later years, "Grandma Hattie" resumed her artistic career, painting scenery, wolves and birds. Her heirs wrote: "Her long run (96 years) was a continual show of talent, resourcefulness and strength."

Lindy Gayton Hansen died Sept. 9, 1998. Her notice read: "She was a no-nonsense kind of woman, not above . . . attempting to entice Randy Johnson, a former neighbor, with plates of cookies at his door so he might watch a (videotaped) game with her. Lindy was a dedicated Mariner fan, excellent bridge player, prolific knitter and quilter, and fabulous cook. In Scrabble, she cheered for other players as often as she cursed them, once triumphing with `unequaled' (a 311-point word). Simple pleasures made her happy, like fresh-squeezed orange juice and a window in the kitchen."

Gilbert L. Hoag, who died Aug. 18, 1998, aspired to be an artist/cartoonist. He wrote many letters to the editor, studied politics, photographed old houses, played harmonica, acted in a play and drove a cab for the sheer love of driving and people. He was a man who, his heirs said, "never met a stranger."

H. Burbank Rideout, who died Dec. 12, 1998, served in the Army on Amchitka Island during World War II. "Bur" came to the Seattle area where he taught English and drama, taking great pride in his students' accomplishments. He performed at the Seattle Rep and Cirque theaters and entertained friends with jokes, vaudeville acts and imitations ranging from Franklin D. Roosevelt to Elmer Fudd.

Jerry Steinmann, who died March 4, 1999, was described as "a short, fat and unrepentant icon and role model for other over-the-edge bus drivers and people recovering from alcoholism and/or drug addiction." His notice read: `"e is survived by five children whom he loved deeply; five ex-wives; Metro; 5,000 friends; and a city of 500,000 that honored him as their favorite bus driver through a newspaper poll."

Eugenio A. Viray passed away Aug. 8, 1998. His obituary read: "He successfully raised his family during the occupation of the Philippines by the Japanese. Eugenio and his wife Magdalena risked their lives hiding and caring for three Filipino soldiers who suffered from malaria and dysentery. After the war, Eugenio became a bookkeeper and moved (to Seattle). He is survived by his wife and their 10 children."

Jean Godden's column appears Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Her phone message number is 206-464-8300. Her e-mail address is: jgodden@seattletimes.com