Lake Stevens woman always had great sense of humor

Published 10:55 pm Saturday, July 26, 2008

“Mom, I don’t feel very good,” the small child sniffed.

“Take two cats and go to bed.”

When a mom has a good sense of humor, the whole family laughs.

Imogen Tremper Bishop Priester of Lake Stevens was a mother who knew how to share her marvelous sense of humor, said her son, Eddie Bishop.

“From the time we were little children, she made us laugh and laughed easily with us,” Eddie Bishop said. “As a result, our whole family joked around a lot and still does. Even though there were seven of us kids, she always made each of us feel special.”

Imogen Priester was born the third child of longtime King County Treasurer Abe Tremper and his wife, Imogen Mitchum Tremper, on April 3, 1921 in Seattle.

She lived for 87 active years until unexpected complications from surgery claimed her life on June 14.

Her daughter-in-law, Lydia Gaebe Bishop, spoke highly of her in-law.

“A lover of the outdoors, cats and travel, she never let orthopedic problems slow her down,” Bishop said. “The recipient of seven hip replacements, she was always first in line for newer and better upgrades.”

Imogen grew up in Seattle and Yarrow Point. She remembered taking the ferry across Lake Washington to attend Garfield High School from which she graduated in 1939.

She attended the University of Washington with an interest in music.

Her interest expanded to include Donald Vincent Bishop of Port Angeles.

“Like many women of her generation, she dropped out of the university to get her Mrs. rather than staying on to receive a B.A.,” her daughter-in-law said.

The couple were married in August of 1941. Not quite a year later, the first of their seven children was born.

Her daughter, Miriam, preceded her in death. There are six surviving children, Katherine Marcey of Snohomish; Pricilla and Donald Schager of Monrovia, Calif.; Edward and Jannene Bishop of Sammamish; Donald Bishop Jr. and Jolene of Everett; David and Lydia Gaebe Bishop of Snohomish; and Thomas and Deborah Bishop of Salem, Ore.

She is also survived by 13 grandchildren, eight great-grand children and her brother Edward Tremper of Hawaii.

Bishop said her mother-in-law became a widow in 1996 when Donald Sr. died.

The couple had enjoyed traveling the country in a recreational vehicle. Now and then they bumped into Harry Priester of Wisconsin and his wife, who also enjoyed the RV life.

Donald Bishop and Priester’s wife both died of pancreatic cancer. The widow and widower hit the RV road as singles. They crossed paths with each other frequently — most often in Congress, Ariz., where Harry Priester would spend winter months working as a sound engineer for radio-legend Paul Harvey.

“In 2003, word began spreading among the now grown Bishop children that mom’s got a boyfriend,” Bishop said. “On June 24, 2004, she married Harry Priester.”

The ceremony was attended by all seven of her children, their spouses and children. Priester’s children all came from the Midwest and some of their children, too, to witness his marriage to his 83-year-old bride.

In 2007, the couple settled at Ashley Pointe retirement center in Lake Stevens.

“As older couples stand and make their vows, the words ’ ‘til death do us part’ take on a whole new layer of meaning and poignancy,” said Lydia Bishop. “Imogen and Harry proved you are never too old for love and marriage.”

Columnist Kristi O’Harran: 425-339-3451, oharran@heraldnet.com