Thomas P. Droscher

Tom Droscher, a resident of Bellingham for three decades, died on March 16, at Seattle's Harborview Medical Center. He was 73 years old. Tom was a well-regarded fixture on the Bellingham and Blaine waterfronts in the 1970s through late 1990s, having worked at and managed several shipyards. He was also an avid and successful sailboat racer. In 1999, Tom and his wife Toni moved to 10 acres of raw land in the South Puget Sound where they built their home. After moving, Tom worked as a Washington State Park ranger in the early 2000s and finished his career at the Department of Labor and Industries before retiring in 2011. In 2008, Tom was diagnosed with multiple myeloma and bravely endured two stem cell transplants, chemotherapy, radiation and one relapse, followed by remission. In the end, he was felled by an aggressive brain tumor that was officially diagnosed just a few days before he died. Tom is survived by his wife Toni Weyman Droscher and sisters Carolyn Dietzman of Walla Walla and Susan Gervais and her husband Phil of Sandpoint, ID, plus numerous nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews. Memorials in Tom's name may be made to Adopt-A-Pet of Shelton, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance or the International Myeloma Foundation. An informal memorial service is planned for April 27, in Shelton. For more information, send an email to toni_droscher@hotmail.com.