Earl William Britton
ST. IGNATIUS – Earl William Britton, age 82, passed away Aug. 24 2010 in Everett, Wash., after a short illness.
Earl was born on July 3, 1928 in St. Ignatius, Mont., to Viola Marie and Earl Eugene Britton. He graduated from St. Ignatius High School in 1946.
After graduation he attended the University of Montana in Missoula, marrying Virginia Crissey (Cris) on June 11, 1949. He received his B.S. in Education from MSU-Billings (then EMC) and went on to teach in Spokane, Wash., Helena, Trout Creek and Billings, Mont. He received his M.S. from MSU in Bozeman, and was a principal in Harlem, and later in Billings, at both Taft and Rose Park Elementary schools.
He obtained his Doctorate in Education from Montana State University, Bozeman in 1972 and went on to be the Director of the Montana Center for Handicapped Children at EMC, where he also taught several courses in the Education Department. In 1983, he and Cris moved to Helena, where he worked for the OSPI (Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction).
After retiring from a lifetime of education, he relocated to Puget Sound where he owned and operated a Culligan dealership for many years.
Throughout his life, Earl was an outspoken advocate for fitness, and exercised daily right into his 80s. He enjoyed running/jogging, racquetball, handball, tennis and weight lifting, which became a passion up until his passing.
He also had a passion for writing, having published his first novel, “The Militant,” in 1996, and was working on a second and third novel at the time of his death.
He is survived by his beloved wife of 61 years, Virginia (Cris) Britton, his daughter Lindsay (Michael) Nesheim, his grandsons Aric and Britton Nesheim, all of Lake Stevens.
Earl is remembered by his family as a brilliant man with a great sense of humor and an infectious laugh. He also loved animals of all kinds, always having at least one dog and cat in their home. Many will remember him as “the man who jogged daily,” running in marathons from the late 1950s on – decades before such activities were vogue. Earl will always be remembered by everyone as a man who laughed easily, loved much and valued academics and lifelong learning.
A memorial service will be held at Snohomish Free Methodist Church (now Crossview Church) 604 Avenue C, East in Snohomish, Wash., on Saturday, Sept. 25 at 11 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, and as a way of thanking the men and women who served our family so well there - donations may be made to Providence General Foundation Hospital in Everett, Wash., to help them provide comfortable seating for families of seriously ill patients.
City Cemetery with military honors.
