David Condit Webster

David Condit Webster David Condit Webster - musician, church leader, writer, Supreme Court bailiff and lover of the great outdoors - has passed away to eternal life, reuniting with loved ones and leaving behind many family and friends. He was born 90 years ago in Bend, OR, to the Rev. Jackson L. and Laura Webster. Soon his father's call to serve as pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Sitka launched a lifelong love for every aspect of Alaska: birds, mountains, boats, sea life, salmon dinners, wilderness, native peoples and the extended family of the Presbyterian Church. Following college at San Jose State, he began working as a newspaperman - at The Spokesman-Review in Spokane, then at the Aberdeen World where he served as reporter and City Editor. In the early 1960s he moved to Olympia and became bailiff for the state Supreme Court, where he enjoyed all the interesting cases, made friends of judges and support staff alike, edited a statewide "Clip Sheet" of legal news and proudly led tours through the Temple of Justice. His lifetime as a vocalist began with family harmonizing around his mother's piano. In Olympia he sang for years in the Masterworks choral ensemble and in the choir of the United Churches. He was still singing into his 80s, and could regale fellow retirement home residents, belting out tunes on karaoke night. Family formed the center of his life. In 1949 he married Mary Price of Seattle. They raised three children who married and added grandchildren. He cared for his parents as they aged, corresponded continuously with his brothers and sister and hosted reunions for the growing clan. He volunteered extensively in the Presbyterian Church - helping to construct Montesano's church, serving as an elder and as moderator of the Presbytery of Olympia. When oil spills occurred he volunteered to wash off the birds. In 1988, a damaging oil spill off the coast of Grays Harbor prompted him to write a non-fiction book, "Nestucca." He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, Mary, and his brothers, Dan, Richard and John. Survivors include his sister, Mary Ellen (and Ed) Hanks of Cashmere; his children, John (and Margee) Webster of Spokane, Mark (and Sue) Webster of Gig Harbor, Constance (and Brent) Anderson of Eugene; seven grandchildren, two great-grandchildren and a third on the way. Memorial Service will be held at 2:00 p.m., August 15, 2015, at United Churches of Olympia, 110 11th Ave SE.