Vincent R. Wallis

1923 - 2015

Vincent R. Wallis

February 24, 1923-January 12, 2015

Vincent was born in Wichita and raised in Denver by his mother. He was sent away to pick cotton every summer as a boy, and left home while still very young.

He did well in school and during WWII placed into the Army Signal Corps. He met Olga Olyejar, they married and for the next 68 yrs. they were inseparable. In 1946 they moved to West Seattle to raise a family. He worked evenings at Boeing as a machinist and attended Seattle U during the day for his degree in education. He then taught math at Van Asselt, James Madison and Asa Mercer junior high schools for 30 years.

Upon retirement, he and Olga toured China, Africa, Asia and much of the U.S. He built a kayak (before kayaks were trendy), climbed Mt. St. Helens (before the eruption) and enjoyed philosophy through Will Durant, poetry by Robert Service and cattle calls by Eddie Arnold. He had a wonderful self-deprecating sense of humor, loved being a cartoonist and wise guy, and did a terrific imitation of Jackie Gleason. He was proudly self-made and unpretentious. He and Olga delighted in square dancing, contract bridge and harvesting blackberries for pie and jam from the jungle behind their house. They erected feeders for the seagulls that the raccoons pillaged, and in later years they never left town so the cat wouldn't become lonely.

After Olga passed away two years ago, he never recovered from the heartbreak. His first son, Wes, died in 1980 at age 34. He is survived by daughter Carolyn and son Wayne, and Wayne's children Spencer and Hanna. He was a very great spirit who will be missed by all who knew him.