Obituary of DeWitt A. Vining

De was admitted to Providence St Peter Hospital on April 2, 2005, due to broken hip as a result of a fall. Medical complications along with a strong desire to be with his wife Mae, and the timing of the Lord led to his death. De met Mae M. Murray in Olympia, Washington, where they were married September 18, 1946. Mae passed away July 4, 1999. In accordance with his wishes, her remains were placed with him. Military service: Gunner’s Mate, United States Navy, served in World War II. Occupation: Jack of all trades – there wasn’t much he couldn’t or didn’t do: builder; bread truck driver; boat builder; carpenter; restaurant owner (Flavor Nook – home of the long hamburger and special goop), managed Student Union Building food service at St Martin’s College; rancher; trucker driver (Alaska pipeline); cross-country truck owner/operator team driver with wife, Mae; mobile home park manager. Family members: Jim A. Vining, wife Lenore, of Olympia; Dan B. Vining, wife Barbara, of Olympia; five grandchildren, Kristin, Stefanie, Meghan, Jenna, and Daniel; one great granddaughter, Ashlynn. De delighted in his grandchildren. Also four sisters, Dorothy, Edna, Hazel, Fern (deceased); and one brother, Paul. Also Mae’s sister Minnie and brother Rodney. Multiple nieces and nephews. Mae and De were adventurous and made many friends wherever they went. Trucking with Mae allowed flexibility to visit grandchildren and many friends and relatives around the country. They also lived in Olympia, Kennewick, and Redmond, Washington; Diamond Ranch at Burns, Oregon; Fairbanks, Seward, and Anchorage, Alaska. Mae and De were generous to others, always willing to share anything they had: home (St Martin students), time, finances, nurture and compassion to those in need. Above all Mae and De were a team. Anything one did, the other gave wholehearted support from motorcycling to ranching to truck driving (yes, Mae drove too!). Illustrating 52 years of harmony, here is a paragraph De wrote to Mae shortly after her death: “I will save this letter and have it laid to rest with us when I come home to the Lord also and then we will both read it together and praise the Lord at the same time. I am going to put this in our box with important papers so the boys will be sure and find it at the time of my death when I come home to the Lord and to you.”