Obituary of Jack Thrower

Jack loved to dance! On Friday night, May 15th, he went to his usual Friday night dance at the VFW with his friends, and by all accounts had a great time. On Saturday morning as he was preparing to go to breakfast with some of those same friends, he passed away suddenly at his home in Lacey. Jack was born on November 30, 1938 to Wilfred Thrower and Ruth Rogers Thrower in Seattle. A year and a half later Patty joined the family. Not only were Jack and Pat siblings, they became life long friends. Jack attended John Muir Grade School and graduated from Franklin High School in Seattle in 1957. After graduation, Jack worked at Boeing in Seattle for two years before relocating to Olympia. He worked in several departments at the State of Washington; his last position was with the Department of Information Services. He retired in 1993 with a total of 32 years of service. Jack married Lila, “the girl next door”, in 1959. After moving to Olympia, they had three daughters, Tracy (1962), Leslie (1963) and Courtney (1966). Jack and Lila were married for 10 years before divorcing, and he never remarried. Throughout his lifetime, Jack loved sports. During the 70’s and into the 80’s he found an outlet for that love. He coached both men’s and women’s baseball teams, traveling as far as California and Montana for tournaments. By the size of the collection of trophies he had accumulated, it was obvious that he had been very successful. In the late 80’s Jack joined two singles groups and remained a member of Sound Singles until his passing. These wonderful friends provided him companionship and support for many years. Jack’s life changed forever when his grandsons Eric (1989) and Ryan (1994) were born. Finally, boys to share his passion for sports! Over the years, the two boys played enough games to keep Jack happy and busy. How he loved those boys! They became a huge part of his world for the rest of his life. Sweet little granddaughter, Zoe, a budding ballerina, was born in 2002 to complete his family. In retirement, Jack enjoyed spending time with his extended family, returning many times to the town of Tonasket where his mother was raised, one of his favorite places. One of his passions was music, especially jazz. He enjoyed many outings with Sound Singles and especially the train trips to Portland. He went dancing as often as he could. He was an avid fan of UW and Seattle sports teams, especially football and baseball. Jack loved the several winters that he spent in Hawaii. It was while he was in Hawaii that he began to develop some serious health issues. Over a period of time it was determined that he had Parkinson’s. The disease progressed fairly rapidly and over the last few years had caused him to make many adjustments in his lifestyle. His Parkinson’s symptom’s had improved over his last month and Jack felt better than he had in a long time. Jack is survived by his daughters, Tracy Thrower-Conyers (Doug) of Los Angeles, Leslie DeVille of Olympia, Courtney Thrower Jordt (Oliver) of Seattle, his sister Pat Ridge of Seattle, nieces Shannon Ridge and Laurie Ridge of Seattle, grandsons Eric and Ryan DeVille of Olympia, granddaughter Zoe Conyers of Los Angeles, Aunt Louise Thomas of Grant’s Pass, Oregon, numerous cousins and many wonderful friends. He was preceded in death by his dad, Wilfred in 1959, his mother Ruth in 1986, his ex-wife Lila in 1992 and many much loved aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. Jack requested that no services be held, but instead would like to have a “Farewell Party”. We will celebrate Jack’s life at 2:00 pm on Sunday, June 14th at the location above. Potluck if you like, but not necessary. Casual dress, a Hawaiian shirt if you have one. Please bring stories and photos to share. Memorials are suggested to the Northwest Parkinson’s Foundation, 400 Mercer Street, Suite 401, Seattle, WA 98109-4641 or the Greater Olympia Dixieland Jazz Society, P.O. Box 924, Olympia, WA 98507. Please leave condolences and memories for the family by clicking "View Guestbook" below.