William Hanford Brubaker

William Hanford (Bill) Brubaker, 83, of Edmonds, WA, died May 2, 2021 in Providence Everett Hospital. Bill was born on April 1, 1938 in Spokane, Washington, to William Curtis Brubaker and Clarissa Minerva Loveless. He married his sweetheart, Marlene, on April 20, 1963 and had two daughters, Terianne and Kathryn. Bill graduated from Spokane’s Lewis & Clark High School, and went on to receive his Bachelor’s degree at Washington State University where he studied broadcast journalism. Bill’s radio and television career began in 1959 at KXLY Radio, and after a brief period as News Director for KPOJ in Portland, he joined the staff at KOMO Radio, while getting his Master’s degree in Communication from the University of Washington. From KOMO Radio, he transferred to KOMO TV where he served as reporter, producer, and anchor of the evening news. While at KOMO, Bill received twelve Sigma Delta Chi Excellence in Journalism Awards along with an Emmy Award. In 2000, Bill was inducted into the Silver Circle, a lifetime achievement award for broadcasting excellence by the Seattle Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. After twenty-five years at KOMO, he was appointed to the Snohomish County Council where he served two terms. In 1994 he was named Director of Aviation as Assistant Secretary of Transportation for the State of Washington. He also was President of the Puget Sound Region Council of Governments, co-chairman of the Regional Transportation Authority and a member of the Governor’s High-Speed Rail Steering Committee. He was awarded the Freedom Foundation’s George Washington Medal for public communication in 1991 and had authored two books; Never As It Seems and Seamount. He was an Associate Member of the Murrow College Professional Advisory Board. In 2013 Bill was named as Project Ambassador for the Hall of Radio History at WSU’s Murrow College of Communications. Bill’s military service spanned 43 years until he retired as Captain in the USNR. During his service he was stationed at NAS Whidbey Island, WA, the USS Nimitz, Allied Forces Southern Europe Naples, Italy, and the Navy Office of Information in Detroit, MI and Seattle, WA. During his service he received the Armed Forces Reserve Medal, National Defense Service Medal, USCG Commandant Ribbon, USAF Longevity Ribbon, and the Navy Sharpshooters Medal. Bill was a licensed pilot, and served as air show commentator for many years for the Paine Field and NAS Whidbey Island Air Shows. An advanced scuba diver, Bill once sailed with Jacques Cousteau on the Calypso. Bill also worked several years with FEMA as a communications liaison in Virginia, Kentucky, and New York during/after East Coast disasters. Bill’s faith was of utmost importance and he and Marlene were involved in church life and ministry throughout their entire marriage. They both served as delegates to the U.S. State Department’s 2nd Annual Ministerial Conference on Religious Freedom, and studied at Yad Vashem’s International School for Holocaust Studies. They hosted a small home church group (affectionally called the “Homies”) for over 30 years. Bill is survived by his two daughters, Terianne and Kathryn, Sister Lisa (Brubaker) Northcott, and his two step-grandchildren, Brandon and Rachelle Delija, who were the joy of his heart. Bill was preceded in death by his wife, Marlene, by only two months. Bill and Marlene were happily married for 57 years. One of Bill’s life’s mottos was, “Wherever you go, try and leave it in better shape than when you got there.” And he most certainly did.