Julie McDonald: Laughter abounds as hundreds pay tribute to Bill Brumsickle

Commentary by Julie McDonald / For The Chronicle
Posted 1/13/25

As the nation mourned the death of former Democratic President Jimmy Carter last week, closer to home, nearly 300 people gathered inside Corbet Theatre on the Centralia College campus on Friday to …

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Julie McDonald: Laughter abounds as hundreds pay tribute to Bill Brumsickle

Posted

As the nation mourned the death of former Democratic President Jimmy Carter last week, closer to home, nearly 300 people gathered inside Corbet Theatre on the Centralia College campus on Friday to celebrate the life of a father, husband, educator, and former Republican state legislator, Rep. Bill Brumsickle, 89.

Laughter filled the theater during the tribute presentations, reflecting the sparkle and humor Brumsickle brought to every aspect of his life.

“Watching Jimmy Carter’s televised funeral eulogies yesterday, one cannot help but see parallels, reminders of what a good life means,” said his eldest son and namesake, Bill Brumsickle. “Dad was not overtly religious as Carter was, but he held very similar core values. Nevertheless, I won’t speculate on whether Dad actually voted for Carter.”

Brumsickle, who was born in White Salmon, Washington, and graduated from high school in Camas, played football for Centralia Junior College in 1953 but shifted his studies to Clark College and then Western Washington College of Education. He married Mary Ann Bailey in March 1958. All four of their sons spoke at the memorial service, sharing poignant and funny stories about their father.

“I think Dad was at peace with his many achievements, family and friends and his loving marriage with Doris, but he was more than a little frustrated with running out of steam,” his son said. “As many others said, he always had a little twinkle in his eye.”

After teaching at Montesano and Tumwater, in 1973, Brumsickle accepted the job of principal at Centralia High School, the year after back-to-back levy failures forced junior high and high school students to share the same building in a convoluted double-shifting schedule.

“It proved he wasn’t afraid of a challenge,” said Sherri Garland, who first met him when she was a high school freshman and described herself as “one of the thousands of people whose life is enriched by knowing Mr. B.”

“As principal, his focus was always on the students first, and of course, he cared about the teachers, the classified staff, from the secretaries to the custodial staff, even food service,” Garland said. “Now, as for parents, my mom thought he was the cat’s meow because he was so nice and handsome, and he looked like Johnny Carson.”

After graduating, Garland started working for the Centralia School District superintendent’s office and worked closely with Brumsickle, who served as assistant superintendent.

“In my opinion, Mr. B was an excellent leader in these administrative positions,” she said. “You obviously can’t make everyone happy, but he always tried.”

She said Brumsickle personified the Fruit of the Spirit described in the book of Galatians: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

“Mr. B nailed all of those things,” she said.

She recalled when Brumsickle gave one of his speeches to graduating seniors.

“As you go from this place on to college, direct into the workforce, you move out of your parents’ home (cause that’s what used to happen), the most important advice I can give you is this: Always remember, always remember … the shower curtain goes inside the bathtub,” she recalled him saying.

After he retired, he ran for the state Legislature.

“I did not see that coming,” Garland said. “I thought it was nuts. But he ran and won, of course, because he was nice and handsome, and he looked like Johnny Carson.”

He served four two-year terms in the House of Representatives, and while there, he learned about Dollars for Scholars, a national scholarship fundraising program, and encouraged Centralia to participate.

“Fast forward to today, and Centralia High School Dollars for Scholars has given out hundreds of thousands of dollars to worthy CHS graduates,” Garland said. “Now, obviously, many people have been involved in making that happen over the years, but Mr. B was the one who brought it to our attention and got us to take the ball and run with it.”

Brumsickle later worked for Educational Service District 113 and the Centralia College Foundation.

After his wife of 49 years died of cancer in May 2007, Brumsickle decided to downsize and moved into Stillwaters Estates in Centralia, where Garland was working. She recalled selling him what they called his bachelor pad. He and Doris Wood, who had lost her husband, experienced a second chance at love and married Jan. 11, 2014, in Corbet Theatre.

“He set a high standard, and in all interactions, he made me want to be a better person,” Garland said. “I feel grateful to call him a dear friend, and I will never forget him.”

Tim Gilmore, who described himself as a proud Centralia School District member for 53 years, was hired by Bill in 1973 to teach at Centralia High School.

“Bill was so welcoming, kind, steady, positive and a new boss that was anything, anything but bossy,” Gilmore said.

The Brumsickles set a great example of living and serving in a community.

“With the recent passing of Bill, Ron Brown, Daryl Lund, Lee Coumbs,” he said, “we need to count our blessings that we have been surrounded by fabulous examples. It’s now our turn to continue to carry that torch and the legacy of those that selfishly led a way, an example for us to follow.”

Craig Gabler, who taught chemistry and physics at Centralia High School for 25 years, said Brumsickle hired him fresh from college in 1975.

“The one piece of advice Bill gave me, and which I pretty much have dodged to this day, was to get into school administration,” Gabler said. “I just knew that that was not for me.”

But Brumsickle excelled at it with his people-centered approach.

“Effectively leading other administrators, support staff, teachers and students is no small task, but with his positive and encouraging approach, he made it all work,” Gabler said.

Rep. Peter Abbarno, a 20th District Republican from Centralia, shared a bit about how people in Olympia saw Brumsickle during his eight years in the Legislature.

“What we do in life is an echo and reverberates through the people we touch, and for folks like me, the policies that we champion,” he said. “Bill was a champion of education, and not just in the classroom. … He was far ahead of his time in advancing education in the state of Washington.”

Abbarno read parts of a resolution read into the record when Brumsickle retired from the Legislature in 1997.



“Whereas Representative Bill Brumsickle cannot walk in the grocery store without meeting a former student, a teacher he hired as principal or a constituent that recognizes his erect frame, ever-present smile and silver mane. And whereas Representative Bill Brumsickle has decided that he would rather walk the sodden trails of the Olympics than the marble halls of Olympia. And whereas Representative Bill Brumsickle is an example for all of us in his ability to deal with complex and controversial issues with dignity and grace, in his dedication of public service and in his devotion to the children of the state of Washington.”

“He was a gentleman and a gentle man,” said Joanne Schwartz, who spoke about his community involvement. “He was kind, generous, thoughtful, honorable and caring. He cared about his family first and foremost. However, as you all know, he also cared deeply about this community and demonstrated that both in his educational career and his volunteerism, he set an example for all of us to follow. He epitomized the term servant leader.”

Brumsickle’s second son, Dave, spoke of his father’s unique combination of humor, intelligence, curiosity, integrity, self-sacrifice and growth.

“Dad had high standards for personal morality, and he walked the walk,” he said. “The examples that he set for patience, honesty, integrity, responsibility and bravery made him a solid role model for his sons for how to be adults, fathers and husbands.”

He noted that Brumsickle decided to follow the example of George H.W. Bush and skydive on his 80th birthday, and he joined him for the adventure.

“Dangling our legs out of the plane’s door and sliding into open space was literally a leap of faith,” he said. “We all made it to the ground safely, and we felt exhilarated afterward. I wouldn’t do it again. But Dad showed us that chronological age is really just a number, and we do not need to limit our horizons as we get older.”

Son Steve Brumsickle described his father as intelligent, wise, generous with his time, generous with his belongings, loyal to a fault and patient with people.

“He was not patient with things,” he said. “He’s the only person I know that actually threw a golf club into a tree.”

Steve described his father as “extremely hardworking.”

“He gave us a great work ethic that my kids have thanked me for helping to pass on to them,” he said.

Tongue-in-cheek, the youngest Brumsickle son, Dan, bemoaned all his missed opportunities if his childhood had been crummy.

“We had everything we needed and never doubted we were loved,” he said.

“Our dad was the most morally upstanding guy I’ve ever known,” he said. “There was never a question of what’s right and what’s wrong. That’s probably the trait I admired most about him.”

He also described his father as a hard worker.

“As he aged and his health gradually declined over the last few years, he remained the elegant gentleman he always was, and I was always so impressed by that,” Dan Brumsickle said. “There was never a question of who I admire most and who I’d like to be when I grow up. I’m still working on growing up, so I still have hopes of being anything close to the man my dad was.”

Rev. Alta Smith shared her observation about Brumsickle.

“The one thing that I can tell you for sure is that Bill never met a cookie he didn’t like,” she said.

During his remarks, eldest son Bill Brumsickle said of his father: “What he valued in others was effort, genuine kindness, and as someone just said, honor. He didn’t judge people by where they came from or what they looked like, but by their actions, their honesty, and he respected anyone who tried to do the right thing. He had a distaste for posers, elitists and cynics.”

He quoted from a 1904 winning essay by Bessie Anderson Stanely of Kansas, which, he said, “fits Dad very succinctly.”

“He achieved success who has lived well, laughed often and loved much;

Who has enjoyed the trust of pure women, the respect of intelligent men and the love of little children;

Who has filled his niche and accomplished his task;

Who has never lacked appreciation of Earth's beauty or failed to express it;

Who has left the world better than he found it…

Who has always looked for the best in others and given them the best he had;

Whose life was an inspiration …”

“Bill’s sons did an amazing job of honoring their dad,” Doris Wood-Brumsickle said. “Truly, my heart and soul felt so good.”

As I left the service, I counted my blessings for the many wonderful people I’ve met through the years as a personal historian and Chronicle columnist, among them Bill and Doris Wood Brumsickle; Lee and Bonnie Canaday Coumbs; former Centralia College President Henry Kirk and his wife, Jenny; Bob and the late Doris O’Neill; Adna sculptor Jim Stafford; Barbara Mason; Debbie Campbell; and Dr. Helgi and Drusilla Heidar.

So many people have done so much to make this community a better place to live, work, and learn. We are all blessed by their efforts and the legacies they’ve left behind.

•••

Julie McDonald, a personal historian from Toledo, may be reached at memoirs@chaptersoflife.com