Duane Paul "Dewey" Patnode

Duane "Dewey" Paul Patnode, beloved father, fisherman and dedicated public servant, passed away peacefully in his Lacey, WA home on January 5, 2026, with his children and wife by his side. He is survived by his wife Becky Graybill; his children Brenda, Peggy, Connie, Jeffrey, Julie, Sandy, and Elizabeth; and grandchildren Megan, Savannah, Avalon, Michael, and Sophia. He is predeceased by his parents and two siblings, Bernie and Judy.

Dewey was born February 3, 1937, in Yakima, WA to Amie and Jennie Patnode. The family worked on their small farm and operated a grocery store in Harrah, WA, where he worked before joining the US Navy, where he served from February 1956 to December 1957 on the USS Lexington.

Following his service, he returned to Harrah, where he would go on to have his children. Eventually, he returned to school to study psychology and sociology at Central Washington University, where he graduated with a dual degree in 1975. From his career working in juvenile justice, to his time volunteering in hospice care, to offering wisdom or a hand to anyone fishing at the creek, he had a heart for teaching and finding ways to make the world a safer place. Anyone fortunate enough to know him knew Dewey never shied away from adventure.

Throughout the years, he rode motorcycles, went skydiving, loved shooting and hunting, and famously survived a bear attack. In 2003, he was blessed to find a partner with an adventurous spirit to match his own, Becky. Together, the two embraced their love of traveling and went all over the world; walking with elephants in Thailand, exploring Panama in a dugout canoe, experiencing a cremation ceremony with the locals in Bali, riding scooters around Saigon at night, and floating down the Nile in Egypt are just a few of the incredible things they did together.

After his wife and children, fishing was his great love of Dewey's life. This brought many him to many places, but he always returned to Perry Creek for his favorite time of year, chum salmon season. Even in his final months, his family rallied around him to get him out to the water one last time. "I pray that I may live to fish until my dying day. And when it comes to my last cast, I then most humbly pray, when in the lord's great landing net and peacefully asleep, that in his mercy I be judged big enough to keep it!"

Though he will be greatly missed, his love and memories will be kept and cherished by all who knew loved him. A service will be held for Duane on March 22nd, 2026, at 12:00 noon at The Hub on 676 Woodland Square LP, Lacey, WA 98503.