Gonzalo Pelayo

Details: Category: Obituaries; Created on Friday, 16 March 2012 09:05; Hits: 14606

Gonzalo Nicanor Pelayo Sr., a former Sitka resident, passed away on March 8, 2012, with his family at his side in Everett, Wash. He was 57.

A memorial service will be held 2 p.m. Saturday, March 17, at Purdy & Walters with Cassidy Funeral Home, 1702 Pacific Ave., Everett, WA 98201. A celebration of life potluck will follow at Everett Yacht Club.

Guy, as he liked to be called, was born Dec. 20, 1954, in Sitka, the son of Nick and Mary (Howard) Pelayo. He belonged to the Eagle moiety, was a child of the Chookaneidi and a descendent of the Iceberg House. His Tlingit name is Kaadash.choo.

Guy graduated from Sitka High School in 1973, where he was active in track, basketball and baseball. After high school he worked at the Alaska Pulp Corp. mill.

When his family moved to Juneau, he worked at Harri’s Plumbing. This eventually led him to the Plumbers and Pipefitters Training School in Anchorage, where he completed his training and became an apprentice pipefitter.

In the mid 1980s, he and his family moved to Everett, where he was a foreman pipefitter for Local No. 32 of Seattle. He recently retired after 25 years.

Guy enjoyed many outdoor activities including fishing, boating, softball and shooting. He also liked to play pool, cook and have barbecues with his family and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Nick and Mary Pelayo; his sister, Betty George; his uncle, Gualberto Tumanon; and niece, Cynthia Strabeck.

He is survived by his loving wife of 10 years, Mary; daughters, Taleena Pelayo of Everett, Trista Pelayo of Edmonds, Stephanie Pelayo (Rocky) of Lynnwood, and Megan McKay of Mill Creek, Wash.; sons, Gonzalo Pelayo Jr. (Anna) of Everett, and Steven McKay II of Everett; sisters, Rose Ballinger of Aberdeen, Wash., Frenchie Paden (Bill) of Sitka, and Pat Helle (Bob) of Vancouver, Wash.; and grandchildren, Kian, Damon, Jayden, Noelle, Tay, Mya, Joshua, Michael, Tristyn, Mason and Gonzalo III.