HILDA EVANGELINE SPRAGUE

Hilda Evangeline (Silva) Sprague passed away peacefully at age 104 at Country Meadows Village in Sedro Woolley.

She was born the 8th of nine children on February 22, 1906, in a little log cabin near the Pilchuck River in Machias, Washington, to John Barnet Silva and Martha Elizabeth Virginia (Moore) Silva.

Hilda married Francis Sprague in 1926 after his first wife -- her own sister, Bertha -- died, leaving two girls, Vida and Florence. With the birth of her two daughters, Fran and Betty, she raised four children. Frank Sprague's father was a sea captain from several generations of seafarers, in whaling, coastal lumbering, fishing, and carrying miners to the Yukon gold rush. Frank made the transition to steamships, and ultimately became a car salesman in Bellingham and later in Seattle. Some years after Frank retired, the family moved from their Lake Sammamish property to Samish Island, where they had been going for summer vacations since 1926. Frank died in 1985.

Hilda's passions were driving, playing poker, fishing, gardening, berry picking and putting on skits for the Rebekahs, of which she had been a lifelong active member.

A book about Hilda was created for her granddaughter, Wendy Pare. It is called "Hilda Evangeline Silva Sprague - A Century (and counting!) in the Pacific Northwest," as told to Kit Bakke, and was published in 2007 through www.lulu.com. Hilda was a strong, spunky, self-reliant woman admired by friends and family.

Hilda is survived by her daughters, Fran (Sprague) Welch Mabry and Walt Vilas, of Bow, WA, and Betty (Sprague) Davies and Bob Davies of Lacey, WA; grandchildren, Linda (Grannis) Good and Leonard Good of Langley, WA, Leah Toneri and Dennis Conyers of Hercules, CA, Christopher and Sheena Grannis of Bellingham, WA, Lynn Toneri and Rob Hink of Hailey, ID, Beckie (Davies) Heinlein and Dave Heinlein of Lopez Island, Wendy (Davies) Pare and Bob Pare of Edison, WA, Robert Davies and James Davies of Port Angeles, WA, Laurie (Welch) Lee of Muscatine IA, and Sandie Welch of Eugene, OR; great-grandchildren, Nancye Good of Brooklyn, NY, Kimberly Sutherland of Bellingham, WA, Lionel Grannis and Matthew Grannis, of Vancouver, BC, Celeste Gargett of Guzman, Mexico, Nanette Carrel of Eugene, OR, William Arron Welch of Eugene, OR, Tara and Evan Conyers of Oakland, CA, and Adryan Hink, of Sun Valley, ID; great-great-grandchildren, Faye Iwata, Jason DiMartino, Samuel Davies, Brroklyn Davies, Trent Ewry, William (AJ) Welch, Madelyn Welch, Kessandra Tate, Michaelyn Shoultz, Tiernan and Aiden Edgar, Camryn and Carter Sutherland, Lucille and Theodore Stoop.

Hilda started a tradition, as part of her work with the Rebekahs, to raise scholarship funds for graduating seniors and is fondly remembered by students and staff.

In Hilda's memory, please make your tax-deductible donation out to the Burlington-Edison Education and Alumni Foundation, PO Box 350, Burlington, WA 98233, attn; Rebekah Scholarship Fund, or to the charity of your choice.

Her family will hold a celebration of life for her and for Frank in August 2011 on the family property on Samish Island.