Lewis Pilcher

Steve Pilcher, age 90, of Bellingham, passed away November 24, 2010.  He was born in Western China on October 31, 1920 to Raymond & Esther (Rulison) Pilcher.  His family moved to Tacoma in 1926 and to Wenatchee in 1928 where he attended high school.  Steve attended Antioch College in Ohio, and graduated from Washington State College with a B.S. in Organic Chemistry.  He enlisted in the Army, and served as a lieutenant.  Steve married Evelyn Hesnard in 1944, and returned to Wenatchee in 1947.
He worked as an organic chemist for Alcoa until 1968, when he retired to run the family orchard in East Wenatchee.  Evelyn passed away in 1978. Steve later married Arlene (Evertz) MacDonald and they moved to Bellingham in 1981. Steve earned his Masters at WWU in 1983, and then matriculated at Oxford as a D. Phil in 1985.
Steve participated in a weekly men’s academic discussion group, and attended the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.  He was very active civically for many years, was a founding board member of the Bellingham Food Co-op, and a member of the Bellingham Music Club.  In his retirement, he and Arlene loved traveling worldwide.  Steve will be remembered for his lifelong pursuit of knowledge. He was a gentle man and dearly loved by his family. Steve was preceded in death by his first wife Evelyn. He is survived by his wife Arlene, son Kenneth (Quincy) Pilcher, daughters Patricia Pilcher, Connie (Joe) Pokrifchak, Pam (Starck) Follis, step-children Lori (Daryl) Smiley, John C. (Tami) Kowsky, Kathy (Jeff) Tift, Scott (Kerri) MacDonald, 13 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. A family gathering will be held.