Laban Walter Truitt ¹⁷⁴¹

   Cause of his death was Respiratory Failure.¹⁷⁴¹

  General Notes:

OBITUARY, 24 May 2000

The Rev. Laban Walter Truitt, 75, retired priest of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Port Townsend, Wash., died of respiratory failure May 11, 2000, at Bayview Manor in Seattle, Wash., his home since retirement. During World War II, he served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy. He began his professional life as an architect and was called to the ministry in mid-life. He attended the general seminary to obtain his diaconate, receiving his master of divinity in 1964, and was admitted to the diaconate in that year. He became a priest in 1965. In his ministry he served as St. Elizabeth's in Burien, Wash.; St. Margaret's in White Center, Wash.; Christ Church of Puyallup, Wash., and as vicar of St. Paul's for 22 years, retiring in 1990. He was drawn to Port Townsend by his love of water and its small town life. "The townspeople as well as the congregation has a great deal of affection for this bright, gentle caring man whose love of life was evident to all who knew him," wrote his friends. He was active in the community, particularly in the area of substance abuse rehabilitation and prevention, and as a hospital commissioner. "His preference was to be out of the limelight, but he wasn't always successful," noted his friends. He tried declining a Port Townsend Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year award, but it was given to him anyway. He was instrumental in obtaining the former McCleary Hall addition to the church campus. Walter served on the diocesan commission on church architecture and was a member of the diocesan training and consulting services group. Survivors include nieces and nephews: Charles Nelson, Judy Zegke, Arnie Nick Nelson, Walter Nelson, and Gary Truitt. A memorial requim Mass was celebrated May 22 at St. Paul's Church in Seattle.

History of St. Paul's Episcopal Church Port Townsend, Washington

In 1970, Boots and Vern Jones with Jessie and Harry Pollard drove to Centralia to meet the Rev. L. Walter Truitt, the new vicar, and to commission a building to be used for classrooms. They all met the builder (an Episcopalian willing to give the church a good deal on the building), explained the congregation's needs, and worked out the design. Fr. Truitt, a trained architect, requested a mansard roof to be in greater harmony with the surrounding architecture. The building named McCleary Hall after Col. Mac and Mrs. Mac, was completed and installed on the church grounds behind Fenn House. Fr. Truitt was a mild-mannered man with a good sense of humor, a pianist who kept a baby grand at Fenn House. He had at one time suffered an injury that interfered with the use of a hand, and for therapy, he took up weaving and installed a loom in an upstairs bedroom at Fenn House. He wove the curtains that hung in the vicarage kitchen during his residence. Fr. Truitt's 20-year tenure at St. Paul's covered a period of both social and church change. It was during his watch that St. Paul's elected its first female Senior Warden, Boots Jones. He also presided over the introduction of the new prayer book, a spiritually challenging period for many faithful members. Fr. Truitt took an active part in community affairs, serving as hospital commissioner for nine years. A recovering alcoholic himself, he also took an active role in support of local chapters of Alcoholics Anonymous. In the mid-1980's, St. Paul's explored the feasibility of becoming a parish again after nearly 100 years as a mission church. Though the church had been self-supporting for some years, Bishop Cochrane expressed concern about its long-term financial stability, especially since the congregation paid Fr. Truitt less than the salary the diocese stipulated for a priest of his grade. After some debate, the congregation decided in 1985 to table the issue for the time being. ¹⁷⁴¹

  Death Notes:

Bayview Manor

  Life Events:

1. Military: Lieutenant-US Navy WWII. ¹⁷⁴¹

2. Occupation: Architect, Bef 1969. ¹⁷⁴¹

3. Occupation: Priest - St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 1969-1989, Port Townsend, Jefferson, Washington, USA. ¹⁷⁴¹