Valley suffers two tragic losses

Record Editorial

Two distinguished Valley individuals passed away recently. One, who had a tremendous impact on many individuals around the Valley, was longtime Snoqualmie Elementary School (SES) Principal Chuck Oliver.

Luckily for my family, the Olivers were our next-door neighbors in Snoqualmie. Our families spent quite a bit of time together and the memories are the best. Chuck was a person you could always count on to help with whatever came along. He was one of those early role models that kids really need – someone you can look up to and whose word and actions are of the highest integrity.

Many former SES school children owe a lot to Chuck Oliver and the time he spent molding our young minds. Our thoughts go out to his family.

Another loss was that of Bob Ashby. I didn’t know Bob well, in fact he had just stopped in the office a week prior to his death to talk about the Snoqualmie Valley Schools Foundation. But Bob is indicative of the type of volunteer that the Valley has put forth over the years. He had a passion for helping schools, teachers and kids, and his actions followed his passion with the results being strong parent groups within our local schools. Tragically, Bob was taken at an early age, 44, and leaves behind two young children and a wife.

Help currently is being soliciting for the family through an account at Sno-Falls Credit Union. Any amount you can give will go a long ways toward helping Bob’s family during this difficult time.

But with Bob’s loss comes the realization that a hole is left behind in the volunteer ranks in our Valley. We continue to grow in population but the same complaint is echoed throughout many organizations: not enough volunteers.

So with this tragedy comes another plea, in addition to monetary needs, many groups around the Valley need you. And I have to think, with Bob looking down on the rest of us, that he would be urging all of us to get involved in something we have a passion for. Whether it’s schools, youth groups, senior care, libraries, politics or a festival, get involved.