Frederick Wefer

April 07, 2014 Born in Bellingham, Washington Winton Wefer was 87 when he passed away April 7, 2014. He was born in Bellingham, WA and lived his entire life at Lake Samish except for a few years in the military and while at college. He served in the U.S. Navy during WWII and obtained his B.S. in Forestry from WSU in 1953. He married Rosemary in 1951. She died in 2000. They had two children: Frederick Winton Wefer, Jr. (sons Shane (Shannon) and Branden, of Whatcom County and Sklyer of San Diego, CA) and Wendy Wefer-Clinton ((Paul) daughter Kelsey of Richland, WA). Great grandchildren include Shayna, Mikayla, Mason, Maren, and Bryce Wefer. He worked for the State of Washington Forestry Div. fire crew starting in 1943 and continued as summer fire warden until 1953. He joined Puget Sound Pulp & Timber in 1954 as a forester and ended his career in 1991 as a forester and logging supervisor for Georgia-Pacific. Winton believed in giving back to the community he loved so much and was well known for his long-term commitment to groups he was associated with. He was an organizing member of the Lake Samish Volunteer Fire Dept., a Volunteer Firefighter for 37 years and a Fire Commissioner since 1957. He helped pioneer and teach at the Sixth-Grade Conservation Tours and was on the Steering Committee. He taught almost 40,000 young people of Whatcom County about the natural ecosystems associated with timberlands. Winton was truly honored when the Deming Log Show named him “Bull of the Woods” in 2011. He was a member of the Society of American Foresters since 1955, having served as secretary and was named a “Fellow” for his outstanding leadership and service plus Forester of the Year for the North Puget Sound Chapter. He was named Tree Farmer of the Year for Whatcom County and won the Stewart H. Holbrook Award from the Keep Washington Green Association. Winton also was a member of the Whatcom County Farm Forestry Assoc. since 1962 and served as president and on the executive board for 5 years. He was also active with the Black Mountain Forestry Center and the Washington Women in Timber woods tour. He was also a Grange member for over 70 years. Winton had a large extended family in the area that he enjoyed socializing with including fishing trips to Nimpo Lake in B.C. He leaves behind his special friend Pat Perry. Farewell Tribute Information A Memorial Service will be held Saturday, April 26 at 2:00 p.m. at Northwood Hall in Bellingham, WA. Donations Information Memorial donations can be made to the South Whatcom Fire Authority (2050 Lake Whatcom Blvd, Bellingham, WA 98229) or Whatcom Hospice Foundation (2901 Squalicum Parkway, Bellingham, WA 98226.

Frederick Wefer

January 1, 1970 - April 7, 2014