Obituary of Earl W. Tower

Earl W. “Butch” Tower passed away August 26, 2023, in Olympia, Washington.  He was born November 30, 1944, to Harold Edson Tower and Mary Cecilia (Kennedy) Tower in Pullman, Washington. He lived at Brookdale East in Olympia the past eight months; Revel in Lacey, Washington (December 2019 – December 2022); and his Olympia home from 1978 to 2019.

 

Earl graduated from Pullman High School in 1963 and earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1968 from Eastern Washington State University, with a major in Behavioral Psychology and minors in Foreign Language (Russian), Military Science, and Sociology.

 

He married Carol Larraine Larsen on September 17, 1965, in Moscow, Idaho. 

 

Earl served in the United States Army (1969-1971) Armor Branch, achieving the rank of First Lieutenant.  His duty assignments included Platoon Leader, Company Executive Officer, and Battalion Operations Officer. He then served in the U.S. Army Reserve (1972-1979) with the 104th Division.  He rose to the rank of Major, with duty assignments as Training Officer, Company Commander, and Committee Commander.

 

Professionally, Earl was a Lobbyist through his firm, Tower Ltd. (2000-2007); Vice President of Governmental Affairs for the Association of Washington Business (1992-2000); and Assistant Director at the Washington State Department of Ecology (1987-1992).  He began his career with Ecology in 1972 as a Community Affairs Consultant, Eastern Regional Office in Spokane, Washington.

 

Earl was a genuinely kind and caring man who lived by his three rules:  never take yourself too seriously, never take anything personally, and don't lose your sense of humor.  He was steady, unflappable, loyal, and patient.  He was incredibly intelligent and knew how to motivate people or calm them down.  He loved to socialize and entertain, but most of all he loved and cherished his family. He was a member of the Lacey Rotary Club, Riviera Owners Club, Sons of Norway and Nordlyset in Tacoma, and the Tower Genealogical Society.

 

He is survived by his wife, Carol L. Tower of Olympia; sons, Bradley H. Tower of Olympia and W. Tad Tower of Wallace, Idaho; daughter, Sara C. Adams of Olympia; 10 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.  He was predeceased by his father, Harold E. Tower; mother, Mary C. “Cece” Tower; brothers, Louis “Louie” Tower and Harold Lavont “Vonnie” Tower; and grandchildren, Benjamin D. Tower, Madeline R. Tower, and Samuel J. Tower.

 

Services will be held, Friday, September 22, 2023, 3:00 p.m. at South Sound Manor, 455 North St. SE, Tumwater, WA 98501. Please RSVP to bradhtower@gmail.com by September 11 if you will be attending.

 

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations in Earl's memory be made to the Lacey Rotary Scholarship Fund c/o Rotary Club of Lacey, PO Box 3301, Lacey, WA 98509, or online by clicking HERE. 

 

Please leave condolences or share memories and photos on the Tribute Wall to the left.

 

 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Earl Tower, please visit Tribute Store