Allan passed away peacefully on Sept. 22 at his home in Mt. Vernon with loved ones at his side.
He was born in Seattle in 1948 to MaryAnne and Oliver Spaulding. He grew up on Lake Sammamish and spent a lot of time on the water sailing and waterskiing with his best friend David Stevens.
He moved to Orcas Island in 1989 and started his own construction company. Tired of ferries, he decided to get his pilot’s license. He was a charter board member of the Orcas Aviation Association, a non-profit organization for flying cancer patients to the mainland for treatment. Later he bought his own airplane and enjoyed many flying trips with his good friend Hans Munich. He loved flying and those were some of the best days of his life.
Allan loved the island and the people he came to know. He looked forward to his daily trips to the Orcas Store to share a joke and have a laugh with the girls.
Allan became ill in the fall of 2009 and was diagnosed with a rare bone marrow cancer. Needing medical treatment, he moved off island to Mt. Vernon and began making many trips to the Seattle Cancer Care Center. He had a stem cell transplant in July 2010 with cells donated by his loving sister, Thea.
Allan showed such strength, patience and grace through all of his treatment. He survived the cancer but died from complications from the treatment.
His family would like to thank the doctors at SCCA, Dr. Shinstrom of Orcas Island and Dr. Gjerset of Skagit Cancer Care Alliance and to all of you who called and came to visit Allan during his time of ill health. He appreciated all the love and support from his family and friends.
He is survived by Nancy Cabe, his companion of 21 years, sisters Thea Spaulding of San Diego and Galen Spaulding of Seattle, daughter and son-in-law Lisa and Keith Olson of Bellevue, special grandchildren Tannis and Kyler Olson, daughter and son-in law Sarah and Eric Schmidt of San Diego and son Tyler Spaulding and wife Christina of Kirkland.
Please join us for a celebration of Allan’s life on Saturday, Oct. 22 at the Discovery House at Rosario from 2 to 4 p.m. In memory of Allan, donations may be made to a memorial fund in his name at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, P.O. Box 19023, Seattle, WA 98109-1023.
By Allan Spaulding’s family
Nancy and Allen’s family:
I did not know Allen personally, but feel I Knew him through the many short conversations Nancy and I had during Allen’s illness as Nancy put me through my paces as my physiotherapist.
Peace and Blessings to you all.
Jack and Lee Bielinski