The recent passing of two Coast Salish Tribal elders left an emotional crater on Whidbey, a community long guided by their kindness, cultural teachings and unwavering protection of the waters.

Bill Bailey and Rosie Cayou passed away within nine days of each other. The family requested that people may honor the couple without posting photos of them within one year of their passing.

Cayou, who died at the age of 74 on Dec. 2, was an environmental activist among tribal and non-tribal members. Her devotion for saving the orcas was passed down from her father, who witnessed the captures of over 80 orcas in Penn Cove in 1970. Tokitae, also known as Lolita, was the last surviving orca of 45 members of the southern resident community that were captured and displayed in marine parks between 1965 and 1973.

Cayou was a critical voice in pushing for Tokitae’s release, according to Howard Garrett, the president of the Orca Network and longtime friend of the couple.

“Her teachings echoed our ancestors. … We must respect and honor the earth, the people, the animals and the waters. We are only the caretakers of what we have, it’s our job to protect its existence,” Cayou’s obituary stated.

Her contributions as a Cultural Knowledge Keeper were shared all across Washington, Oregon, California and British Columbia.

Wildlife conservation speaks to Cayou’s character, Garrett noted.

“She understood the principles of ecology, of the interconnected fabric of life,” he said. “She understood the need to hold nature in reverence; that we should be thankful and grateful and do what we can to nurture and steward nature in every way possible.”

Bill Bailey, Cayou’s partner of 26 years, who passed at the age of 75 on Nov. 23, was a humble man, full of humor, with an ever-present twinkle in his eye, according to Susan Berta, the executive director of the Orca Network and friend and mentee of the couple. Nothing made him happier than his creations, according to his obituary. As a master carver, artist and painter, his work was showcased across the Northwest.

“Bill really was, I believe, a shaman,” Berta said. She said he and Cayou could see things in people and animals that others could not.

Both Bailey and Cayou were instrumental in honoring the sacred life in the waters surrounding Whidbey Island. As the Orca Network’s cultural advisor, Cayou led Whidbey residents and tribal members through dozens of salmon rituals meant to return sustenance to the ecosystem. She and Bailey also performed spiritual rituals involving dancing, singing and drumming to help whale and orca spirits be released.

When Tokitae died, Cayou traveled to every island in the area for a year, performing the healing salmon ceremonies and releasing her spirit. Back at the Coupeville Wharf, Bailey led a “powerful” spiritual ritual alongside Cayou and among Coupeville natives, people who had witnessed the captures and people who were involved in the campaign to bring Tokitae back, Berta recalled. On the anniversary of the 1970 orca captures, the couple returned to Penn Cove each year to heal the waters that witnessed the abuse and captures.

“Rosie Cayou and Bill Bailey taught us so much about life and beyond,” Garrett wrote on the Orca Network’s Facebook. “We promise to do our best to carry on doing the important work and teachings you shared with us, but you are utterly irreplaceable Rosie and Bill. “

There were many heartfelt comments under the Garrett’s post.

“This pierces my heart same as Toki dying. I am so sorry … for all who knew them or loved them from afar,” one person wrote. “Let the next generation learn much from them and all orca protectors. This is the correct way for the humans to live on the earth.”

The owners of Beaver Tales Coffee LLC, which is part of the sʷədəbš Cultural Center and Creative Hub in Coupeville, also grieved the passing of Bailey and Cayou.

“Our family and community are grieving the loss of not one but two family members,” they wrote on Facebook. “Rosie and Bill are together again. A kind, generous and loving couple who shared their knowledge and traditions. They will be missed.”

The post also recognized Cayou for her amazing fry bread, big heart and commitment to teaching people. It asked to keep the family of the couple in people’s prayers.

Cayou and Bailey were known for their strong relationship. Often, they could communicate without speaking because they were just so close, Berta witnessed. After attending Cayou’s second memorial, Berta said she was not surprised the couple passed to the spiritual world within a little more than a week of each other, as they were so “in-tune with each other.”

“They were really always as one,” Berta said. “I knew that they were together again when she left us.”

Berta noticed that the southern residents orcas came in shortly after Cayou’s memorial, with a new baby in tow. To Berta, this means Cayou and Bailey have reunited with their ancestors and are swimming with K-pod.

Cayou was survived by her children Ginger Lewis James and April James. Bailey was survived by his daughter Stephanie (Bailey) Larsen.

The Orca Network is hoping to host a memorial in Cayou and Bailey’s memory in Coupeville in the future. Updates will be posted to the Toki’s Legacy Facebook page.