Michael “Mike” Gress, 67, of Chehalis passed away Sunday, Feb. 5, 2017, from a massive stroke at Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia. He was born Dec. 12, 1949, in Prosser, Wash., to John and Jewell Gress.
Mike attended Davis High School in Yakima, prior to enlisting in the United States Army, where he was a medical corpsman and sharpshooter, serving in Germany and Vietnam. He moved to the Boistfort Valley, where he and his wife, Donna, raised two daughters.
Mike worked for the Aust Family Farm and Northwest Homes. He began working for Weyerhaeuser in 1971, as a rock driller and night watchman until 1978. Mike went on to earn a civil engineering degree from Centralia College and went to work for Washington State Department of Transportation.
Mike volunteered coaching little league and Babe Ruth Baseball. He was a diehard Seattle Seahawks and Mariner fan. He loved fishing and golfing. His children and grandchildren were his world, watching and following their sporting events brought him pure joy.
He is survived by his two daughters, Corinne “Coco” (Paul) Williams and Sarah (Steve) Burdick; grandchildren, Brandon (Amanda) Williams, Brooke Williams, Spencer, Sawyer and Sadie Burdick; two great-grandsons, Paxton and Rowan Williams; sisters, Jackie (Terry) Moen and Debbie (Dave) McKee; sister-in-law, Debbie and the late Steve Gress; and numerous nieces and nephews.
A potluck celebration of life will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017, at the Baw Faw Grange, Curtis, Wash.
Arrangements are under the care of Cattermole Funeral Home, Winlock. Please visit our website at cattermolefh.com to leave a condolence.
