John E. Irby

Posted on: Jun 21, 2022 at 4:33 AM

Posted on: Mar 21, 2022 at 10:26 AM

Happy 81st, Sir. I hope your special day is filled with delicious food, loud laughter, friendships renewed, birdsong, and many pleasant moments. Take care. Stay safe. Our troubled world needs much more of you. irb

Posted on: Mar 21, 2021 at 9:42 AM

morning, Gary. glad we're both still here to celebrate your special day. i hope it's filled with delicious food, loud laughter, greetings from near and far, birdsong, and wonderful memories of years gone by. take care, Friend, stay safe. our world needs much more of you. irb

Posted on: Mar 15, 2021 at 10:52 AM

happy 80th, Bill. so glad you're still with us. i hope your special day is filled with delicious food, loud laughter, birdsong, and warm hugs all around. stay safe, Sir. our world needs much more of you. irb

hi, Judy. tomorrow, it seems, is your special day of celebration of 78 years of precious life. i'm sure your golf swing is just as pure and strong now as it was all those years ago in Bothell at Wellington Hills and Wayne. i hope all is well with you, and all those you love. take care. john

I remember most how gentle Camie was our senior year-- her long hair, delicate features, gorgeous smile and soft voice. i'm not surprised at all that she put up a valiant fight against her disease and kept a happy heart all the while. that's what we Bothell, Kenmore, Woodinville, and North Creek grown kids do. this is a sad day for the class of '59 as once more the roll up yonder has been callled and our Cougar's roar has been diminished by one. John Irby 

Ken was a big guy. i was small.

He was outgoing. i was quiet and shy.

He played football. so did i.

We faced the other teams, big, rough kids, but Ken was all that too.

He loomed like a mountain in our line, 

on offense, creating a path, and on defense, plugging the hole.

He played next to Phil Carter, gone now, and Joe Franza, gone now too.

The weather got cold and our bodies got sore,

but Ken and Frankie Miglore giggled, laughed, and asked for more.

Frankie and Ken are gone now, sad to say.

We were all brothers that autumn day.

and now, Ken, our biggest of brothers is gone.

The world is a much smaller place now, but not for long.

No doubt, there's a young boy, who'll come along soon.

He'll need to be a big one, strong and kind, able to laugh at the moon.

And most of all he'll need to be a happy kid, with a limousine for a grin, to replace our Ken.  

j

Posted on: Oct 16, 2017 at 6:05 PM

76 trombones in the grand parade, and all remaining Bothell Cougars salute you on this special day, Wayne. May you enjoy delicious food, cold beverages, loud laughter, and warm hugs from friends and family. irb

i hope you have the happiest of days, Judy, one filled with sunshine, delicious food, loud laughter, and warm hugs shared all around. you remain one of my all-time favorite co-editors, even though once in awhile i actually tried to help.

Posted on: Jun 21, 2017 at 4:33 AM

Glad you're still with us remaining '59ers, Wayne. We may be dwindling, but we're still a force to be reckoned with. Go Cougars!

Mutt and Nancy, that's what we were. She towered over me by five or six inches at least and other than a tree or two, probably the tallest living female object at our school. Nancy, as I remember her then, was full of nervous energy, a constant giggle on her lips, and always trying to appear shorter than God made her. Understandable. There were no scouts beating the bushes around Bothell for girls to play college basketball and professional women's basketball was unheard of. So Nancy went to school like everyone else, was fun, and kind, and full of laughter. We often stood side by side, me gazing up, she peering down, but still good buddies despite the obvious disparity in elevation. I think she kissed me once in 9th grade. It didn't work too well, but she managed somehow. Despite the kiss we stayed friends all through junior high and high school. She was a fine friend. I miss her already. Irb