Richard D. 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.