ST. NICHOLAS ALUMNAE

Born in 1915, Barbara “Bobbie” Black Lenfesty was the widow of Robert Craft Lenfesty. She is survived by her daughter, Jean Wells (St. Nicholas Class of ’61), five grandchildren, one great-grandchild, and one great-great-grandchild. She was predeceased by her son, Charles Black Lenfesty. The family held a private service.

Clara Louise Robinson ’40 Close • Oct. 8, 2022

Clara Louise Robinson Close was born Jan. 21, 1923, in Seattle. Her grandparents had come to the Pacific Northwest from the East Coast in 1889, when Washington became a state, to be in the lumber business. She was educated at Lowell Public School, St. Nicholas School, and graduated in June 1944 from the University of Washington magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. In September 1944 she was commissioned as an ensign in the U.S. Navy and served at the Bureau of Ships in Washington, D.C.

It was there that she met Navy Lt. Rodman E. Close. They were married in 1945 at the Naval Academy Chapel in Annapolis, Maryland. After World War II ended, the couple moved to Southern California, where Rod continued his naval career in the reserves and, as a civilian, became a test pilot for Northrop Aircraft. They lived in Palos Verdes Estates with their two daughters, Suzanne and Marguerite, until Rod retired in 1972. The following year, they moved to Camano Island, Washington. Their daughters married, and in the years that followed, Louise and Rod lived joyous lives surrounded by family and friends.

Louise was a lifelong Episcopalian and was an active member of St. Aidan’s and the P.E.O. Sisterhood. She is survived by daughters Suzanne Lawrence and Margot (Thomas) Hanson, five grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

Memorials may be sent to St Aidan’s Episcopal Church in Camano or Hospice of the Northwest in Mount Vernon.

Jean McDonald ’48 English • Dec. 16, 2022

Jean passed away at the age of 92 from complications related to Alzheimer’s Disease.

Born Jean Annette McDonald on July 20, 1930, in Lewiston, Idaho, to Irvin Brown McDonald and Sadie Welker McDonald, she was a proud Scot and a descendant of homesteaders who came west by wagon. Jean enjoyed childhood summers on Lake Coeur d'Alene and visits with cousins in the wheat fields of the Palouse. She attended elementary school in Lewiston and St. Paul’s School for Girls in Walla Walla.

After her father died in 1943, the family moved to the Laurelhurst neighborhood of Seattle. Jean graduated from St. Nicholas School in 1948, attended Smith College, and graduated from the University of Washington in 1952. She pledged Delta Gamma, played golf, and earned a varsity letter as a Silver Fish. Jean skied, joined the Mountaineers, and was elected to the Winter Carnival Court. She was inducted into several honor societies, including Phi Beta Kappa, Mortar Board, Totem Club, and W-Key. Jean was recognized by the economics department as the outstanding female graduate of 1952.

In 1955, Jean and Buel Beecher “Beech” Blake were married and built a house on Hunts Point. Jean and Beech welcomed their daughter Darcy in 1960. Widowed in 1965, Jean moved to Medina. In 1967 Jean married Thomas Saunders English; their daughter Juliet was born the following year. Tom and Jean relocated to Washington Park, where they raised their daughters.

Jean was capable, accomplished, and modest. She was by inclination and necessity an entrepreneur. A renowned cook and gardener, Jean enjoyed needlework, bridge, and travel. She delighted in her grandchildren, and they in her.

Jean was active in the Junior League of Seattle and Seattle CityClub. She was a member of the Sunset Club, the Seattle Tennis Club, the Seattle Smith College Club, and served as past president of the Seattle Garden Club. She chaired the Festival of the Fountains at the Pacific Science Center, sat on the board of trustees at Bush School and the ethics committee at Swedish Hospital, and served on the Altar Guild at Epiphany Parish.

Jean reconnected with the widower of a St. Nicholas classmate and, in 2002, Jean and David Hunter Jones were married. Jean is survived by her two daughters, five grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husbands and by her sister, Bonnie.

Remembrances can be made to the Center for Urban Horticulture at the University of Washington.

IF YOU HAVE A REMEMBRANCE to share about a St. Nicholas or Lakeside alum for the next issue of Lakeside magazine, please email the alumni relations office at alumni@lakesideschool.org or call 206-368-3606. The following are reprints of paid notices or remembrances submitted by family members. All remembrances are subject to editing for length and clarity. The submission deadline for the fall/winter issue is Oct. 6, 2023.