Published: Thursday, November 19, 2009
Edmonds official remembered
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Dan Bates / The Herald
Frank Pritchard shares family stories about his sister Peggy Pritchard Olson at a memorial in Edmonds on Wednesday.
EDMONDS — Some of the stories were humorous. Some were bittersweet.
Family and friends took turns Wednesday sharing their memories of Edmonds City Councilwoman Peggy Pritchard Olson, who died Nov. 9 at the age of 58 of ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Over and over, they described Pritchard Olson as a caring woman who refused to complain when she learned she had the disease in April 2008. The memorial attracted hundreds who packed the auditorium at the Edmonds Center for the Arts.
Mayor Gary Haakenson said he struggled a little thinking about what to say “about my friend, Peggy.”
It was in those difficult days during her illness, “that we saw what Peggy was made of,” he said.
“She was told what the future would hold for her . . . and she took it head on,” he said. “I never heard her say ‘Why me?’ and yet, many of us wondered why her?”
The daughter of Joel Pritchard, the late Republican state senator, lieutenant governor and congressman, Pritchard Olson was born in Seattle and grew up in Seattle’s Magnolia neighborhood. She graduated from the University of Puget Sound in 1972 where she was a member of the school’s Pi Beta Phi sorority.
“Both her dad and mom would have been proud of how she handled this debilitating disease,” said longtime friend and sorority sister Chris Weinlein.
A longtime travel agent, Pritchard Olson won a seat on the City Council in 2003 and was re-elected four years later. She was chosen as Edmonds Citizen of the Year in 2008 and was honored in a resolution by the Washington state Senate.
Her brother, Frank Pritchard, along with other family members helped Pritchard Olson throughout her struggle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
“Peggy’s attitude throughout this ordeal was predicated on something my grandmother said to her, ‘No one likes a complainer,’ ” Pritchard said.
Pritchard Olson’s stepdaughter, Denise Cohnheim, remembered Pritchard Olson as a great influence on her grandchildren.
“I hope I can remember everything Peggy taught me and pass it on,” she said.
As the service drew to a close, Pritchard thanked everyone who’d helped his sister. He said family wondered how to end the event, rejecting a moment of silence or a prayer.
“I would ask you,” he said, “to just join me in a moment of applause for you and for Peggy.”
Oscar Halpert: 425-339-3429, ohalpert@heraldnet.com.
Family and friends took turns Wednesday sharing their memories of Edmonds City Councilwoman Peggy Pritchard Olson, who died Nov. 9 at the age of 58 of ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Over and over, they described Pritchard Olson as a caring woman who refused to complain when she learned she had the disease in April 2008. The memorial attracted hundreds who packed the auditorium at the Edmonds Center for the Arts.
Mayor Gary Haakenson said he struggled a little thinking about what to say “about my friend, Peggy.”
It was in those difficult days during her illness, “that we saw what Peggy was made of,” he said.
“She was told what the future would hold for her . . . and she took it head on,” he said. “I never heard her say ‘Why me?’ and yet, many of us wondered why her?”
The daughter of Joel Pritchard, the late Republican state senator, lieutenant governor and congressman, Pritchard Olson was born in Seattle and grew up in Seattle’s Magnolia neighborhood. She graduated from the University of Puget Sound in 1972 where she was a member of the school’s Pi Beta Phi sorority.
“Both her dad and mom would have been proud of how she handled this debilitating disease,” said longtime friend and sorority sister Chris Weinlein.
A longtime travel agent, Pritchard Olson won a seat on the City Council in 2003 and was re-elected four years later. She was chosen as Edmonds Citizen of the Year in 2008 and was honored in a resolution by the Washington state Senate.
Her brother, Frank Pritchard, along with other family members helped Pritchard Olson throughout her struggle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
“Peggy’s attitude throughout this ordeal was predicated on something my grandmother said to her, ‘No one likes a complainer,’ ” Pritchard said.
Pritchard Olson’s stepdaughter, Denise Cohnheim, remembered Pritchard Olson as a great influence on her grandchildren.
“I hope I can remember everything Peggy taught me and pass it on,” she said.
As the service drew to a close, Pritchard thanked everyone who’d helped his sister. He said family wondered how to end the event, rejecting a moment of silence or a prayer.
“I would ask you,” he said, “to just join me in a moment of applause for you and for Peggy.”
Oscar Halpert: 425-339-3429, ohalpert@heraldnet.com.
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