Richard Dexter Egge

Richard Dexter Egge

Richard Dexter "Dick" Egge died peacefully, October 4th, 2012 in the company of his family, at Saratoga View Adult Family Home, Langley, WA where he had resided since March, just 4 days short of his 97th birthday. He will be missed by his family and everyone that knew him. The family would like to thank Dixie Mills and Grethe Cammermeyer for their care for Dick during his last years and days.

Dick was born in Elma with his twin brother Bob on October 8, 1915, the son of Gustave and Mary Laprath Egge. Gus was an immigrant from Norway, and "Nana" was born in a sod hut in Nebraska of immigrant parents. The boys joined a family of three older sisters, Ruth, Ella and Norma. A couple of years later the family moved to Seattle, settling in Greenlake, first on Stroud Avenue and then on Corliss Avenue. They would attend John Marshall Junior High, Roosevelt High School and the University of Washington. Bob and Dick were life guards at Golden Gardens, where Dick grew a love for swimming. Both played basketball at Roosevelt and later for Hec Edmundson at Washington, Bob becoming an All-American. Dick graduated in 1937 in Mechanical Engineering and was hired by GE to work in Schenectady, NY. His career was interrupted by a call to play basketball again for a University of Washington Basketball All Stars' Team trip to the Far East, including China, Japan and the Philippines from December 1938 to March 1939. Besides being a great experience for a young man, the trip brought him back to Seattle where he married Louise Chenoweth, the daughter of Harry Edward Chenoweth and Minnie Jane Holt, on July 02, 1940. They would have 5 children.

Dick went to work for the Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging Company, first in Bremerton and later in Seattle, refitting ships as part of the war effort. As a result of friendships he made there, Dick and two partners, Ed Cummins and Charlie Rhoda started a business in the late '40s, first as Tri-Marine and later as Sealand Construction, landing their first job building a bridge over the Humptulips River. This company later became Cummins-Egge, Inc. A few years later, they joint ventured with Koon-Boen on a job building multiple bridges over the Copper River in Alaska. This partnership became B-E-C-K Constructors.

Ed Cummins died in 1955, but the new joint venture began for Dick a near 50 year business partnership with P.D. Koon.

As partners, they also owned and managed (and sold) part of

Stoneway Concrete, Freeway Sand and Gravel and Norcoast Constuction as well as participating

in many other joint ventures. Though working primarily in Alaska, they would go anywhere including one job in America Samoa. They built hangers, runways, radar towers, bridges, highways, docks, housing, even a rocket launch and the support facilities for a nuclear test

site. They worked among other places in Juneau, Fairbanks, Palmer, Anchorage, Nome, Valdez,

Cordova, Cape Newenham, Attu, Shemya, Amchitka, and Adak. It was quite a ride.

On April 03, 1965, Dick married a 2nd time to Elizabeth Lake Flagg, the daughter of Archibald William Lake and Emma Idona Petersen. They were married 37 years before Betty passed away on November 19, 2002. He gladly welcomed his new stepchildren Jackie and John Flagg in to the family. They split their days between their homes in Seattle, Whidbey Island and Bermuda Dunes, CA and found time to do much traveling, fishing and attending Husky games, ticket holders for over 50 years. All the while Dick remained in business, not retiring until he was 87 on the death of his long time business partner, P.D. Koon. Dick's amazing success in life and business sprang from his eternal optimism and thoughtful generosity.

During his life Dick, a lifelong Republican, was a member of

Sigma Chi Fraternity, the Tyee

Club, The 101 Club, The Washington Athletic Club, The Arctic Club, The AGC, The Beavers, and both Broadmoor & Bermuda Dunes Country Clubs. Affectionately known as the "Codfather" by his children Dick enjoyed fishing and golfing and loved competition whether it was horseshoes or gin rummy, often with his longtime Whidbey neighbor Sandy Doan.

Dick was preceded in death by his parents, twin brother Bob, sisters Ruth Bennett, Ella Ritchie and Norma Christiansen and wives: Louise and Betty. He is survived and missed by his children: Richard C. Egge (Jeanie) Bellevue, Jon D. Egge (Deanna) Kirkland, Janet Acarregui McCaffray (Ted) Seattle, Mary Parsons (Bob) Portland, OR, Dr. Stephen M. Egge (Donna) Puyallup and stepchildren: John C. Flagg (Elouise) Bells Beach and Jackie Laird (Dale) McMinnville, OR,

grand children: Jordan Anderson, Laurie Kuhia, Benjamin Hunt, Amanda Lasser, Amity Egge, Ally Nelson, Brian, Mark and Rick Acarregui, Rob Parsons, Katie Adkisson, Kelsey Parsons, Ryan, Ross and Rebecca Egge, Jennifer Laird, Brian Flagg and Elizabeth Caviness and great grandchildren: Aaliyah, Kierra, Sammie, Colby, Haylee, Naomi, Olivia, Greta, Molly, Chad, Grace, Megan, Matthew, Carter, Kennedy, Jackson, James, Hannah, Noah and Emily. He will be interred with his wife Betty at Calvary Cemetery in Seattle overlooking Husky Stadium.

Hoffner Fisher & Harvey

Guest book at harveyfuneral.com