Welcome to the obituary section of our website. You may search by first or last name, or by death date.
If you would like to comment in an loved one’s guestbook, please feel free to do so. If you would like to upload a photo to accompany your comment, please limit the file size to a maximum of 2MB. If the image file is too large, it may be rejected (you will be notified by staff it this happens).
If you have any questions, please feel free to give us a call: 360-491-3000. Thank you for visiting.
Check your settings when you are happy with your print preview press the print icon below.
Show Obituaries Show Guestbook Show Photos QR Code
Print
Brian Aubrey John Cawley
December 1, 1935 - June 10, 2019
Share your Memorial with Family & Friends
Brian Aubrey John Cawley, beloved husband of 58 years, passed away June 10th, 2019 at Providence St Peter Hospital in Olympia following a long battle with congestive heart failure.
Brian was born in Bexleyheath, Kent, England, December 1, 1935 to Arthur and Doris (Hill) Cawley. As a young boy, he was part of the great evacuation that saw children torn from their families in war ravaged southern England to live with strangers in the northwestern part of the country. During the years he spent there he contracted diphtheria. This combined with the asthma he had suffered with from birth limited his activities. Fortunately he loved to read and spent considerable time absorbing Science Fiction, Mathematics and technical subjects as well as American westerns.
His lifelong love of electronics began while replacing a vacuum tube in his Dad’s radio. He then went on to train as a technician in a local radio shop before getting into the telecommunications industry. He went on to be a circuit engineer before getting into microchips.
Brian was a visionary into our future and his work was very important to him. He loved to be on the cutting edge of technology and his work life led him to travel extensively Taiwan, Singapore and Finland. Brian’s quest for the next big adventure took him and his family from England to Scotland, Switzerland, then to the USA, California. After retirement he moved to Washington State and settled in a beautiful lakeside home.
It’s no coincidence that his name is an anagram of “brain” as he had an insatiable thirst for knowledge and his mind never stopped. His hobbies included tinkering with computers, photography, painting, writing and composing music. He and his wife Valerie traveled all over the world including Western Europe, Costa Rica, Peru, Bali, Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong and China.
One of the best things about Brian was his wit, his sense of humor and his love of a good poem. He had an amazing ability to memorize and recite poetry or tell a good joke. Brian’s favorite holiday was Christmas and he would sometimes wear ribbons from all the gifts around his head and talk in a hilarious high-pitched voice. We nicknamed this funny character “Auntie Thid”.
Brian is survived by his wife Valerie, daughters: Fiona, Sarah and Felicia; grandchildren: Christopher, Antony, Lucy, Ashley, Alex and Anna; siblings: Wendy, David and Christopher.
Brian was preceded in death by his son Simon and three sisters: Sheila, Thelma and Betty.
In lieu of a traditional funeral service there will be a “Celebration of Life” with Brian’s close family and friends. Date to be determined.