Priscilla Ann (Thompson) Nash, 94, the matriarch of one of Friday Harbor’s legacy families, passed away Friday, Oct. 12, 2018, at Peace Health Island Medical Center surrounded by loving family. Priscilla was born May 17, 1924, beloved daughter of Leonard H. and Merry Christmas Day Thompson, and grew up in Bellingham, Washington.
She was a 1942 graduate of Bellingham High School and a 1949 graduate of the University of Washington. On May 30, 1944, she married Richard Mock, who died three months later in World War II when his plane disappeared between Greenland and Iceland. On Aug. 6, 1949, she married Albert M. Nash Jr. and moved to Friday Harbor where Albert bought his father’s drug store. Together they raised their seven children in the foursquare house at the top of Spring Street which is now part of the Spring Street International School. She was a ferociously devoted and dedicated mother to the end. One of her very favorite activities as a mother was spending long summer days at island beaches with her best friend and sister-in-law Betty Nash and the 11 kids between them. She will be sorely missed by her family and many devoted friends.
She had fond memories of growing up in Bellingham. As a child of the 1930s Great Depression, she never quite recovered from being taught extreme frugality and to her dying day would drive across the island to hand deliver a letter rather than pay for a stamp. During her youth, she enjoyed summers in Alaska as well as visits to her Mother’s former family home in Dayton, Washington. As recently as two weeks ago, she attended a high school reunion with her 94-year-old childhood school friends from Bellingham.
Over time she grew to love Friday Harbor where, at her insistence, she and her husband built a home by the water where she hung a sign that said, “If you are lucky enough to live on the water, you are lucky enough.” She was a devout member of the St. Francis Catholic Church and her church community was like a second family for nearly 70 years.
Very active in the community, she was unfailingly kind, unendingly busy, indefatigably loving, and unfortunately tardy to everything.
She is survived by her seven children; Michael (Leanna) Nash, Mary Nash, Jack Nash, Deborah (Robert) Strasser, Teresa (Norman) DeGraaff, Virginia Nash, and Tom (Tracy) Nash; nine grandchildren; Jennifer Deacon, Tyler Strasser, Caitlin Strasser, Albert Strasser, Oliver Strasser, Peter Strasser, Priscilla Hawkins, Hudson Hawkins, Magdelyn Hawkins; three great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her loving husband, Albert Nash, and her younger sister, Lora Hunter.
Viewing and rosary were held on Friday, Oct. 19 at 7:30 p.m. at the St. Francis Catholic Church. Funeral service was at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 20 at St. Francis Catholic Church in Friday Harbor. The funeral was followed by an interment at St. Francis Cemetery, followed by a reception at the San Juan Island Yacht Club in Friday Harbor.
