David Tedin
Former Sitka resident David Tedin, of Lynden, Wash., died Jan. 1, 2017, at Peace Health St. Joseph Hospital in Bellingham, Wash. He was 75.
A Mass of Christian burial will be held 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 7 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Lynden. Rosary will be 6:30 p.m. Friday at Gillies Funeral Home, Lynden.
Dave was born and raised in South Dakota, the son of Martha Bailey and Albert Tedin. He graduated from Tioga, N.D., high school in 1959, and moved to Omaha, Neb., where he met Rita Haniszewski. They were married in 1962. Their daughter Mary Pat was born that year and the three of them moved to Sitka the following year. Michael was born shortly after the move to Sitka. Christopher was born in 1964, and Mark followed in 1968.
David joined the carpenters union and worked at Alaska Lumber and Pulp mill in Sitka until 1971 when he went to work for H&H Construction. With H&H, he built many houses, remodeled buildings, and generally reshaped the town of Sitka through the 1970s and 1980s. He retired in 1993.
In 1999 after their children moved away from Sitka, he and Rita moved south to be closer to them and their grandchildren. Not wanting to do anything extreme, Dave moved only as far as Lynden, Wash. One of the mottos he lived his life by was “everything in moderation, including moderation.”
He was active in the Catholic Church in both Sitka and Lynden as a Lector and Eucharistic minister. A profoundly Christian man, he was also accepting and tolerant of others’ faith and beliefs.
He enjoyed travel, woodworking, and cooking as hobbies. He also enjoyed gardening, both to beautify his own home and to provide fresh ingredients for the dishes he cooked.
He is survived by his wife Rita, of Lynden; daughter Mary Pat (Robert) Mitton and sons Michael (Erika) Tedin, and Mark (Wynne) Tedin, all of Seattle, and Christopher (Tina) Tedin of Oak Park, Ill. He is also survived by three grandchildren, Catherine, Abigail, and Arrow.
He will be greatly missed by his family, fellow parishioners, neighbors, and friends.
Memorial donations may be made to St. Joseph Catholic Church, 205 12th St, Lynden, WA 98264. Condolences may be left in David’s online guestbook at www.gilliesfuneralhome.com.
The family extended a special thank you to the staff at Peace Health St. Joseph Hospital “for the compassionate care shown to David and the entire family during his final days.”
