Ethel Guzzie, leader in lumber industry

It's hard to imagine the word "barracuda" as a term of endearment. But for Ethel Guzzie, it was the highest possible compliment.

Mrs. Guzzie, who died at home in Cle Elum, Kittitas County, on Tuesday (March 14) at age 99, was born into the timber industry. Her father, Michael Miller, founded M.C. Miller Lumber a century ago.

Mrs. Guzzie's life was the family business. At a time when a woman in the workplace was a novelty, she led the sales force of an entire corporation and later became its head.

Evelyn Cava, who worked closely with Mrs. Guzzie for 48 years, said her nickname was well-earned.

"She was sharp; she wouldn't be intimidated by anyone," Cava said. "But people loved her. She was kind. But she also commanded respect."

Mrs. Guzzie went to work for her father in 1930. She led the company for decades, even after the mill was sold in 1965.

She became known around the Northwest as a crack lumber broker, operating Miller Lumber Sales.

But her first love was the piano.

Mrs. Guzzie found time nearly every day to play. She played at the community church, she played weddings and birthdays.

Mrs. Guzzie traveled the Northwest giving recitals. In the 1920s, after studying classical music at the University of Washington, she was music director at Central Washington University and education director for the Portland Symphony.

When she returned to Cle Elum in 1930, Mrs. Guzzie moved quickly to help right the ailing lumber company. For 35 years, says town historian Louis Musso, M.C. Miller Lumber remained strong through industry booms and busts.

Willard Chase, longtime editor of the Cle Elum Tribune, said Mrs. Guzzie's influence spread well beyond the company.

The Millers and Mrs. Guzzie's husband Gary worked to bring new industry to Cle Elum as coal and timber faded.

Chase credited Mrs. Guzzie with helping bring Shoemaker Manufacturing, the largest employer to date, to town.

"She was always in the background," he said, "making sure things worked out."

Mrs. Guzzie's health declined after her husband's death in the mid-1980s. But friends say she continued to play a role in the community by giving to the poor and her church.

Although most people in Cle Elum who knew her well are long gone, Musso is sure the whole town will miss her.

"This is almost like a Denny had died," Musso said, referring to one of the founders of Seattle.

"She's the last of a generation. And she was a good one."

Survivors include her nephew Michael Miller of Cle Elum and many grandnieces and grandnephews.

Services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Cle Elum Community Church. Entombment will be at the Lilly Corridor at Acacia Mausoleum, 14951 Bothell Way N.E., in Lake Forest Park. Donations can be made to the church, P.O. Box 430, Cle Elum, WA 98922, or the Cle Elum Fire Department, Cle Elum, WA 98922.

John Zebrowski's phone message number is 206-464-8292. His e-mail address is jzebrowski@seattletimes.com.