John D. Kusske

John D. Kusske passed away peacefully June 15, 2005 at his home in Outlook, Wash.

He was born Jan. 16, 1920 at St Phillips, Webaux County, Mont. At age 6, his family moved to Saskatchewan, Canada. It was while in Canada that John took up fiddling as a hobby and later became quite proficient at it. He made over two dozen instruments during his lifetime. At the age of 20 he moved to Kittitas, where he graduated from college in 1950 from Central Washington University.

Upon graduation he taught school briefly and had various jobs including DHIA supervisor and dairy farming. He then went to work for the Federal Government in Othello for the Othello Conservation Service, working as a civil engineering tech. John worked there for 21 years and then retired in 1980.

John was married briefly to Louise Smith during World War II, where he served in the Army in the signal corps for over three years. He then married Joyce Howard, who was the mother of his three sons. John married his third wife, Ellen Grimmer, in 1974. It was on the Royal Slope that they spent 20 years of their retirement together before she passed away in 1994. John and Ellen served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Manila, Philippines from 1981 to 1982. They also spent several years serving as temple workers in the Seattle temple.

John was preceded in death by both his second and third wives, and a brother and a sister. John is survived by two sisters, Margaret and Regina; his three sons, Byron, Randy and Danny; three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. From his third wife, he is survived by five stepsons: Dee, Don, Dennis, Duane and Dwight Grimmer; also two stepdaughters, Dorothy Berg and Dianne Garcia, with numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

John will be greatly missed by his family and friends.

A time for final visitation will be held Monday, June 20, 2005 at Stevens Funeral Chapel from 2 to 6 p.m. and again Tuesday morning June 21, 2005 at 9 a.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Royal City with services beginning at 10 a.m. Burial will be at the Royal Memorial Gardens, Royal City. Services are under the direction of Stevens Funeral Chapel.