[Guest Post by Cristy Lake]
It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Timothy David Lake. He was a beloved member of the community, known by many as a neighbor, friend, mentor, uncle, grandfather, and Dad.
He served in WWII, Korea and Vietnam. Mr. Lake passed away at home on his 101st birthday, surrounded by his children, who had come to celebrate with him. He will be dearly missed by all who knew him.
David Lake was born on August 27, 1922, in rural East Pittsburg, Camp County, Texas. He was the third of six siblings born to Charles Roy Lake and Pearlie Mae Bynum and grew up hunting and fishing with his brothers, cousin Foard, and their friends. He graduated high school at sixteen, working through his textbooks quicker than other students.
Dave decided to join the Navy at age 18. In December 1941, just before Pearl Harbor was bombed, he was on the beaches of San Diego when Pearl Harbor was attacked.
Within the next few days, he arrived at Pearl Harbor. Dave spent the rest of the war serving on the USS Pennsylvania, assigned as an Apprentice Seaman, and was at sea in the Pacific from 1941 through 1945. 1946 Dave was with the ship in the Bikini Atoll for nuclear testing.
Dave and Betty met on a blind date in the Snoqualmie Valley in January 1946. They quickly fell in love and got married within weeks. After finishing his Naval tour in California, they moved to the Valley, where their oldest son, Tim, was born in 1949. 1952, Cindy joined Tim, while Ron and Don followed in 1961.
In 1958, they purchased the house they lived in at the mill and moved it to Williams Addition. Dave and Betty raised their family there, and Dave would stay in for the rest of his days.
From the 1940s through his retirement in the 1980s, Dave worked at the Weyerhaeuser mill in addition to being in the Navy reserves until 1984.
As he grew older, he continued to serve his community in various ways. Dave and Betty were active in the community throughout their time in the Valley. Dave was a Masons, VFW and American Legion Commander member on and off from 1957 until 1994, involved in the Union, square dancing, scouts, and much more.
In 1957, Dave was one of the first ten Sno Falls Credit Union members. A member of “The Greatest Generation,” Dave volunteered countless hours to support food banks, Rainbow Girls, Boy Scouts, Little League, Boys State and Girls State, summer leadership, and citizenship programs for high school students.
Having been called up for active service in Vietnam in 1961, the family briefly moved to Hawaii while Dave went to Vietnam before the US was officially there.
Always community-minded, Dave joined the Snoqualmie Valley Veterans Memorial Committee in the early 2000s and helped see that a memorial was built next to the American Legion Hall.
Giving up driving at age 95, Dave loved to go to the Eagles for dinner, often taken by family, and to hang out with shipmate Kenny Martin and their old Navy Lieutenant, Mr. Roberts, whom they served in the Vietnam War.
He is predeceased by his beloved wife, Betty Bonifas, and her sister Lucille; his parents, Roy and Mae; his dear brothers, Thomas, LW, and Harold; his sister Flora; and so many friends and family that he outlived. He is survived by his children Tim (Lynn), Cindy Lake, Ron (Terrie), and Don Lake; his granddaughters Alicia (John) Jeffery, Cristy, and Katie Lake; great-grandchildren Sean, Lila, Abby, David, and Zane; sister Nancy Shaddix; and is survived by numerous nieces and nephews and their children and grandchildren.
A Celebration of Life will be held at the Snoqualmie Valley Eagles on September 20, 2023, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Before his placement at 2:30, David will be placed at Tahoma National Cemetery with Betty.
Instead of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in his memory to Snoqualmie Valley Hospital.
Comments
I was an assistant Scoutmaster when Dave was the Scoutmaster in Snoqualmie! Fun time, great memories.