Veteran's Memorial: Kenneth Howard Passé and Mary Jeanne (Anderson) Passé

Ken Passé, Jr., Nancy Passé and Beverly Passé have purchased two memorial bricks for the Shoreline Veterans' Memorial in honor of their parents Kenneth Howard Passé and Mary Jeanne (Anderson) Passé.

The Passés moved to Innis Arden in 1951 and were some of the earliest homeowners at that time. The family has home movies that show the hills covered with scotch broom as they drove down to their home. After that they lived in Richmond Highlands and finally in Richmond Beach.

Mary and Kenneth Passé

Kenneth Howard Passé - U.S. Army - WW II

Kenneth Howard Passé was born in Seattle on November 26, 1919, to Carl and Inez Passé. At age 94, he died in Shoreline on December 27, 2013.

Ken grew up in Ballard, where he played in the Seattle Times Youth Band and worked as a bicycle messenger for Western Union. A 1937 graduate of Ballard High School, he enjoyed Golden Beaver class reunions. Ken joined the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1937 and worked for a year in the foothills of Mt Rainier.

After being drafted into the Army in August 1941, he later spent exactly three years in the South Pacific as an anti-aircraft gunner, returning in April 1945 and being discharged in June 1945. He was a proud WWII veteran and holder of a Purple Heart award.

After the War, Ken worked as a salesman/driver for American Linen Supply for six years, then worked for US Customs Service for thirty years, retiring as the Supervisory Inspector at SeaTac Airport in 1983.

Always Husky football fans, Ken and Mary held season tickets for many years and attended two of the UW Rose Bowl games. They were both avid salmon fisherman. Together they enjoyed travel and had the opportunity to visit many countries in the world through Ken’s work and personal travel. Ken and Mary particularly loved vacationing in Hawaii.

Ken married Mary Jeanne Anderson on May 18, 1945, a marriage which spanned nearly 66 years, until Mary’s passing in 2011. Ken and Mary raised three children in the area that is now Shoreline: Ken Jr (Ann) Passé, Nancy Jeanne Passé and Beverly Anne Passé. He was the proud grandfather of Keith (Lisa) Passé, Kyle (Emma) Passé and Chandra Passé, and adored great-grandfather of Avery, Thomas, Molly and Kaleb. He was also a loved uncle to several nieces and nephews in Washington, California and Arizona. Ken was pre-deceased by his brother Charles William Passé and is survived by his sister, Phyllis Stringer.

Ken was a life member of both the Richmond Masonic Lodge and Nile Temple Shrine, where he was a longtime member of the Drum and Bugle Corps. Ken and Mary were members of Ronald United Methodist Church for more than 60 years.

Kenneth and Mary Passé in 2010

Mary Jeanne Anderson Passé - U.S. Coast Guard - WW II

Mary Jeanne Anderson Passé was born in Seattle on November 6, 1922 and died in Shoreline on May 9, 2011, at the age of 88. She attended Magnolia and Warren Avenue grade schools, graduating from Queen Anne High School in 1939.

She left her first job, at Mayer Brothers Jewelers, to become the first SPAR enlistee in the 13th Coast Guard District. During WWII, she rose to the rating of Chief Storekeeper until honorably discharged in 1946.

Mary and Ken met on a ski trip to Mt. Rainier. They fell in love and married on May 18, 1945. They raised their family, Ken Jr., Nancy, and Beverly in what became Shoreline. Mary and Ken have been members of Ronald United Methodist Church for 61 years. Mary was a busy volunteer as a Boy and Girl Scout leader, an active skier, one of the organizers of the first Shoreline School District Ski School program, a member of the Parkview Orthopedic Guild, an avid salmon fisherman and huge Husky fan. 

Mary and Ken loved vacationing in Hawaii and had the opportunity to travel to the far ends of the earth. Mary was the beloved wife of Ken Sr. for 66 years, cherished mother to Ken, Jr. (Ann), Nancy Jeanne and Beverly Anne, adored grandmother to Keith Passé (Lisa), Kyle Passé (Emma) and Chandra Jeanne Passé, proud great-grandmother to Avery Jeanne, Thomas, Molly and Kaleb and aunt to nieces and nephews in Washington, California and Arizona.

See previous article on memorial bricks.