William Edward Jacob Wolfram, 89, died just before sunrise on Jan. 14, 2005, surrounded by his family at his home in Edmonds.

He was born on a simple homestead in Colorado, where he lived until the age of 6. He spent the rest of his formative years in Dayton, Ohio, working on family farms and the Frigidaire assembly lines.

He raised his family around western Washington before settling in Bayview in 1969, where he lived until November 2003.

A World War II veteran who served in the Aleutian Islands, he retired from Foss Tugboats to spend time on Whidbey after spending years at sea. His many interests included cooking and baking, geodes, beekeeping, baseball and football, and a persistent love of gardening – culminating in gifts for every visitor that stopped by his home. No one ever left “Red’s” house empty handed.

In addition to his generosity, he will be remembered for his wit, his principles, his many travels and stories, his pies, his love of Whidbey, and his love of his family.

He is survived by daughters Vivienne, Penny, Patty and Loretta; grandchildren Annie, Peter, Ben, Bess, Mario, Jacob, Tammy, Rachel, Jenny, Jessica and Zackary; and great-grandchildren Josh, Madison, Hannah, Emily, Kai, Alex, Ella, Kate, Trent, Alison and Justin.

A private memorial gathering to celebrate William’s life will be held at a later date. His ashes will be scattered in Puget Sound.