On Saturday, July 24, 2021, Natalie Joan Wyman passed away at home surrounded by her children and grandchildren.
Natalie was born in Port Townsend, Washington, on April 16, 1935, to David and Pearl Thompson, residents of the small Scandinavian community of Nordland on Marrowstone Island. Her father was the captain of the Nordland ferry, which provided access to the island from mainland Olympic Peninsula in Washington.
As a child, Natalie, her older brother and their parents lived on a farm on the island, except during the last three years of World War II when her father purchased a house in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Seattle and moved the family there until the war was over. Their farm was adjacent to Fort Flagler on Marrowstone Island and her dad was worried that if the Japanese war planes bombed the fort, his family would suffer.
In the summer of 1949, a young man from Seattle came to work on farms on the island. The two met at evening teenage activities and were soon inseparable. Three years later, at barely 17, Natalie married Robert (Bob) Wyman. They were together for 70 years until his death in 2019.
Natalie attended elementary school at the one-room school on the Island. She attended and graduated from Chimacum High School 1953. The bus ride to school involved a ride each direction on the Nordland Ferry, which was large enough to accommodate the bus in addition to two Model As.
After short education-related stops, Natalie and Bob settled in the Chehalis, Washington, area where they raised their family and were active in their local church and community until they retired back to Marrowstone Island and eventually full-time to Yuma, Arizona.
Natalie enjoyed numerous crafts and hobbies including sewing, oil and water painting, stained glass, gardening, etc. She was an accomplished bird watcher and served on the board of the Yuma Audubon Society.
Natalie’s primary passion was her family. Weekends revolved around church activities, family outings and Saturday evening board games with family and friends. She was a lifelong member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Natalie was predeceased by her husband Robert (Bob) and brother Raymond. She is survived by her daughter Pamela Almandinger, sons David and Ted, four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021, at the Yuma Central Seventh-day Adventist Church located at 1681 S Sixth Ave, Yuma, Arizona, 85364.
