After a year-long struggle with cancer, Chester Lincoln Saunders passed away peacefully at his home in Oak Harbor on Feb. 26, 2013. Chet was born on President Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, Feb. 12, 1919. Coincidentally, he was also a descendant of Lincoln and quite proud of it. In addition to a shared birth date, Chet possessed many of Lincoln’s personality traits — a love of learning, a dry sense of humor, kindness towards all, honesty and a quiet strength.
Chet was born in a Cayuga, N.D. farmhouse and was third youngest of 11 children; five sisters and five brothers. Growing up, he helped with the farm chores with the rest of the family.
He continued his farming interest and enrolled in the Polytechnic School in Billings, Mont.
However, after completing one year, he was needed back on the farm since many of his older siblings had married or taken other careers and moved on.
It was during this time that he met the love of his life, Lorraine Edith Ebel at a local town dance.
Cupid made a direct hit and when Uncle Sam came knocking in 1942 with his WWII US Army draft papers, Chet and Lorraine married.
Almost immediately, Chet was shipped out to Guadalcanal and served 18 months overseas as a medic assistant and earned a Bronze Star for Good Conduct. He also served as a Military Police at a Roswell, New Mexico Prisoner of War camp. After his formal discharge, Chet and Lorraine sold the farm that he had inherited and in 1947 moved to Richland, Wash. where he worked as a carpenter on the Hanford Project for two years. During this time, their daughter Pam was born.
In 1950, Chet decided to follow his medical leanings and enrolled in the Palmer Chiropractic School in Davenport, Iowa. And after graduation, the family relocated to Alameda, Calif.
In 1954, while living in Alameda, Chet and Lorraine gave birth to a son, Monte.
Chet obtained his California chiropractic license and planned to open an office in the Bay Area with another Palmer chiropractor. However, he became discouraged by anti-chiropractic sentiment present at that time. Chet ultimately went to work for the Food Machinery Corporation and once again the family relocated to Fremont, California and eventually Newark, Calif.
Chet was a devoted husband and father, and extremely talented craftsman. His skills were often exhibited in his many home decorating and improvement projects Lorraine would design. As Lorraine often said, “There’s nothing Dad can’t build.” Chet was also very involved in Pam and Monte’s activities and shuttled them to the library, music lessons, bowling, and baseball games.
In 1984, Chet retired from FMC with 30 plus years of service and he and Lorraine located to Lake Tahoe near their son Monte. He immediately began remodeling their little “cabin” and harking back to his farming days began a vegetable garden. Eventually, they moved again to an acre in Red Bluff, Calif. where he continued his farming in earnest. He became famous for his champion two-pound tomatoes.
In 2005, Chet and Lorraine moved to Whidbey Island to be near their daughter Pam. Here, Chet became involved in the Coupeville Lions Club, the Coupevile United Methodist Church, and the Coupeville Friends of the Library, where one could find him (almost daily) reading in his favorite corner chair. At the ripe young age of 88, Chet caught the travel bug. He traveled to Alaska, Maui, the Big Island, Kauai, Mt. Rushmore, Mt. Hood, and made several trips to both California and Idaho.
Chet was preceded in death by Lorraine, his wife of 63 years, and all 10 of his brothers and sisters. He is survived by his daughter Pam Formeller (Tom), and son, Monte Saunders (Pam) of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Chet is also survived by four grandchildren; Pam’s daughter, Heather Crook of West Sacramento, Calif.; and Monte’s children, Billy Colston, of Coeur d’Alene, Kathy Meyers, of Austin, Texas, and Angie Childs of Coeur d’Alene.
The Celebration of Chet’s life will be 2 p.m. Monday, March 4 at the Coupeville Methodist Church. Remembrances in Chet’s name may be made to either the Coupeville United Methodist Church, or the Friends of the Coupeville Library.
