William Frederick Zobrist, Jr.

January 24, 1920 - August 25, 2014

William Frederick Zobrist, Jr. Obituary William Frederick Zobrist, Jr., was born January 24, 1920, in Bellingham, Washington. His father was William Frederick Zobrist, Sr., the son of Swiss immigrants. His mother was Ella Sofia Brown, a Canadian who became a U.S. citizen. In 1927, Bill's family moved to Seattle, where he lived for most of his early life. He attended Queen Anne High School, worked and climbed at Mt. Rainier, and was employed at Boeing during World War II. Bill joined the army and was sent to Japan as part of the occupation forces. He was honorably discharged in 1946. He returned to the University of Washington, and graduated from the School of Engineering in about 1949. At the University, he met and then married his wife of 55 years, Rhoda Mary Thurm Zobrist, who died in 2006. From 1951 to 1987, Bill worked as an engineer for Building Supplies, Inc., in Spokane. For over 50 years, Bill was an active member of St. John's Cathedral. He was also a member of Rotary 21 of Spokane, the Spokane Engineers' group, the Brotherhood of St. Andrew, and delivered for Meals on Wheels. He was an avid runner of the half mile in track. As a high school student, he placed second in the Seattle All-City meet in 1938. Bill was also a member of the relay team, and Queen Anne H.S. won the meet on the strength of that team's winning performance. As an adult, he ran many road races (and won some age group medals). His last of many Bloomsday races was run at the age of 86. He enjoyed the outdoors, especially camping and hunting in the Okanogan, a family tradition from the early days. He is survived by four of his five children: William Zobrist III, Marianne Iksic, Joan Fredrickson, and Jeff Zobrist. David Zobrist died in 2011. Bill is also survived by eight grandchildren: Stephanie Zobrist, Will Zobrist, Andrea (Iksic) Turner, Travis Iksic, Krystina Fredrickson, Rochelle Fredrickson, Gabriel Zobrist, and Elijah Zobrist. Bill, always a humble man, lived a good, full life. A memorial celebrating Bill's life will be held at St. John's Cathedral on Friday, September 5, 2014, at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers charitable contributions may be made to: Spokane Guilds� School & Neuromuscular Center, Meals on Wheels, or Hospice of Spokane. � To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of William, please visit our Tree Store. Read more Events AUG 25