Lewis County lost a legend last week with the death of Bill Brumsickle, a beloved and well-respected athlete, educator, administrator, state legislator and fundraiser for Centralia College.
His wife, Doris Wood Brumsickle, posted the news on Facebook that Bill had suffered a stroke on Saturday morning and died Wednesday afternoon.
“All of the family got to wish him farewell as he left on his journey,” she wrote.
“Today, our community has lost a truly remarkable soul,” Debbie Campbell wrote in tribute. “The passing of the darling Bill Brumsickle who was a dear sweet man who was not only an amazing pillar of our community but also a devoted family man.
“His kindness was contagious, and his legacy will live on in the countless lives he touched. He had a way of bringing light to even the darkest of days, and his absence will be deeply felt by all who knew him.”
Brumsickle, who was well-known throughout the community, shared a glimpse of his priceless self-deprecating humor with me when I interviewed him in 2012 while compiling the book “Centralia College: Its People and Their Stories.”
Born in 1936 in White Salmon, Washington, Brumsickle grew up in Camas and arrived in Lewis County in 1953 to play football for Centralia Junior College, back when the college had a football team. It discontinued the program in 1957. Years later, members of the team gathered every other Tuesday at Judy’s Country Kitchen to share stories.
“We tell the same old lies and they get better all the time,” Brumsickle said. “But we’re much better ballplayers in our discussions than we were.”
After his father suffered a stroke, Brumsickle returned to Camas to work at the paper mill and study at Clark College. He earned his bachelor’s degree in teaching at Western Washington College of Education, where he met his future wife, Mary Ann Bailey. They were married in March 1958 and raised four sons — Bill, David, Steve and Dan. They had been married 49 years when Mary Ann died of cancer in May 2007.
Brumsickle taught at Montesano and Tumwater before taking over as Centralia High School principal and later assistant superintendent.
Edna Fund, a former Lewis County commissioner, recalled Brumsickle as her son JR’s principal at Centralia High School.
“Bill provided the stability at school and was a role model for his staff and respected by the students,” she said.
During the 1990s, he served in the Washington state Legislature after his election in 1988 as a Republican from the 20th District.
“By the way, it’s a lot of fun being in the minority because you can go to meetings and you can throw out grenades and let the people who are in charge figure it out,” he said. But after Republicans won control of the House and Senate in 1994, “Then I had to be responsible,” he said.
He was a strong advocate of the Running Start program that allows high school students to take college classes and earn credits, which the Legislature adopted in 1993. While principal of Centralia High School, he worked with Dr. Robert Lorence at Centralia College to launch a similar program to help students in danger of dropping out for lack of challenge or motivation.
The Washington Association for Career and Technical Education designated him its State Legislator of the Year in 1995. His friend Robert Thompson described Brumsickle as one of the best legislators he’s ever known, along with Wilma Rosbach. Fund described him as “a star representative.”
Brumsickle retired from the Legislature in 1997 and later worked for the Centralia College Foundation. In 1999, he was named Centralia College Distinguished Alumnus.
Chris Bailey, a W.F. West graduate and educator who recently retired as president of Lower Columbia College in Longview, became friends with Brumsickle while running as a Democrat for a separate state representative seat in the 20th District in 1988.
“I was 27 years old, and Bill was in his 50s at that time,” Bailey said. “We became friends through the various debates, parades and events along the campaign trail.”
He recalled how dapper Brumsickle looked.
“He always seemed like he was fresh off a GQ cover for a Bond movie,” Bailey said. “He was also very affable: friendly, good-natured and easy to talk to. He was sincere and genuinely loved by people.”
Bailey commented on Brumsickle’s self-deprecating humor:
“One day, he described his career pathway with the following humorous quote: ‘Those who can’t do, teach. Those who can’t teach go into administration. Those who can’t administer go into politics.’”
Bailey, who worked as an administrator at Centralia College, said, “He always had a glint in his eyes and a good story to tell. He will be missed by many, including me.”
Steve Ward, another retired Centralia College administrator who worked closely with Brumsickle, said he “witnessed firsthand a true gentleman with a commitment to education and our community.”
“By the time I arrived on the scene, he was already a local legend — athlete, educator, administrator, legislator and supporter of the Centralia College Foundation,” Ward said. “Therefore, it was no surprise that he was tapped in the late 90s to help lead the capital campaign for what is now Washington Hall, home of Corbet Theatre.”
His sense of humor made him fun to work with. Brumsickle invited Jim Stafford to cast a statue for the main entrance to the hall. It reflected the experience of Stafford’s son, a Centralia College student who loved learning but tragically died young from a neuromuscular disease. But during placement of the Reach for the Stars statue, controversy erupted between college officials and the artist over which direction it would face. Brumsickle intervened to broker a compromise.
“Normally that would be the end of this story, but for Bill’s sense of humor,” Ward said. “Afterwards, at opportune times, in meetings or events, Bill would make eye contact with me, and with a wry smile, slightly raise his hand and point in the air, implying the Reach for the Stars statue, slowly twist right to left, and wink.
“To this day, I can't really tell you exactly where that statue points. But I can clearly recall his smile and wink. We will all miss him, but his legacy will live on in our community.”
Joanne Schwartz, a former Lewis County commissioner, recalled rafting the Grand Canyon in 2003 with Brumsickle and other Chehalis residents as well as her relatives from Chicago — 36 in all.
“We had the best time traveling together, all of us,” Schwartz said of the 12-day Colorado River trip guided by her older brother, Joe. “It was a terrific adventure, and that forged this friendship between Bill and myself. We had known each other casually, but you know, you spend 12 days with someone in the wild, and you get to know people really well.”
She served on the Centralia College Board of Trustees with Doris Wood, who married Brumsickle on Jan. 11, 2014, at Centralia College. After both of their spouses had died, they embraced a second chance at love.
“Bill and Doris would also be the first (and I believe only) couple to be wedded in Washington Hall,” Ward said.
“What an absolutely incredible man loved by everybody who knew him,” Schwartz said. “He made such a contribution to our community, our state.”
Julie McDonald, a personal historian from Toledo, may be reached at chaptersoflife1999@gmail.com.
