Faye Marie Alverson

Faye Marie Alverson passed away peacefully after a long illness on April 2, 2017 in Seattle at the age of 82. Faye was born on September 27, 1934, in Attleboro, Massachusetts, to Grace and Jasper Johnson. She was the second of the family's six children, and her childhood was spent in the Rochester, New York, and Boston, Massachusetts areas. She was voted head cheerleader for Needham High School, and graduated from Needham High in 1952. She attended Boston University and the University of Michigan, graduating from Michigan with a teaching degree in 1957.

Faye led an adventurous and artistic life. In Michigan she was recruited to teach 3rd grade in Hayward, California. It was in the Bay Area where she met Jim Alverson, and they were married on March 15th, 1958. Soon after they left for Ahwaz, Iran, where Jim was employed for 2 years as a civil engineer on a major water development program. In 1960 they returned to California, only to move overseas again in 1966, first to East Pakistan, and then to Crete, Greece. Returning from overseas in 1969, Faye, Jim and family settled for good in Bellevue.

While raising four children kept her busy with household activities, Faye was at her core an artist. A landscape oil painting of hers won a blue ribbon at the Sonoma (CA) County Fair in 1964. In the early 1970's she started a career as a potter, working regularly at the Seward Park Art Studio, selling her pottery at regional arts and crafts fairs. She was a skilled seamstress and developed a business sewing custom cheerleader uniforms for high schools. Later she entered the Master of Architecture program at the University of Washington. Though she did not complete her graduate degree, she retained a strong interest in architecture and real estate for the rest of her life, and managed the family's rental properties.

Faye's love of flowers and flower arranging were an extension of her artist's view of the world. Each room of the house contained an art object or two placed in a precise way. She was a skilled cook and maintained a large file of recipes. Faye was also a dedicated swimmer through much of her adult life, and swam daily at the Newport Hills Swim and Tennis Club, and later at the Newcastle [Coal Creek] YMCA. Swimming gave her strength and enjoyment. She continued regular swimming, despite illness and limited mobility, until 2013.

Faye is survived by her husband of 59 years, Jim, and their four children and their spouses: Ed Alverson (Angie Ruzicka), Janice Alverson, Kate Johnson (Warren), and Marie Hill (Jim), as well as four grandchildren. Her sister Christel Stoll, and brothers Bob Johnson, Peter Johnson, and Don Johnson also survive her. She was preceded in death by her parents and one brother, Alan Johnson.

Faye is greatly missed by her family and friends.

A memorial service is planned for 3 PM on Saturday May 6, at Newport Presbyterian Church, 4010 - 120th Ave. SE, Bellevue.

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Published by The Seattle Times on Apr. 30, 2017.