APG Skagit Call Center - DUP
Donald Ray "Don" Petit, 83, of Anacortes, Washington passed away peacefully on October 17, 2023, in Ilwaco.
Don was born on November 2, 1939 and was adopted by Albert Francis Petit and Elsie Doris (Christianson) Petit in Chehalis.
He grew up in Chehalis with his brother Chuck and graduated from W.F. West High School in 1957. After high school, Don joined the Army and was stationed in Okinawa, Japan.
Upon returning home from the Army, Don lived with his childhood best friend, Gordon "Dez" Castonia in Seattle. One night in the Fall of 1962, they hosted a party at their apartment and Don met the love of his life, Juanita "Jay" Valerio of Bountiful, Utah.
Don and Jay married on January 5, 1963. They had three children, James, Tina and Duby, and made their home in Chehalis for nearly 50 years.
Don always enjoyed the outdoors. Most family vacations were spent hiking and camping in many of the state and national parks or spending time at the family cabin at Summit Lake. When he wasn't hiking and backpacking, Don enjoyed hunting with his buddies in the winter, watching UW Huskies and Seattle Seahawks football and car racing. To say that Don was a racing fan was an understatement. He watched every kind of racing and attended as many races in person as well, including go-carts, Sprint cars, funny cars, drag racing, Indy Car, NASCAR and Formula One. He even volunteered as a Marshall for the local Rally Car races.
He was always at the ready for any adventure. He and Jay enjoyed a whirlwind tour of Europe that included England, France and Scotland. He fondly remembered their stay at the Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland. In his retirement years, he and Jay traveled across the United States in their R.V. visiting family and friends, hiking and attending car races, including the Daytona 500.
After the passing of his wife in 2019, Don lived with his daughter Duby in Anacortes and kept busy exploring Skagit Valley. He loved going out for breakfast whenever possible, having ice cream every day and drinking a Bloody Mary every Sunday. He could strike up a conversation with anyone, and everyone he met became a friend.
Don was preceded in death by his wife of 56 years, Juanita Petit; parents, Albert and Doris Petit and uncle Wilferd Petit. He is survived by his son James (Carrie) Petit of Olympia; daughters Tina Stellhorn of Silverado, California, and Duby Petit of Anacortes; grandsons Griffin (Laura Lupnaav Sondergaard) Stellhorn of Sweden and Ian Stellhorn of Silverado; brother Chuck (Terry) Petit of Thousand Oaks, California; sisters-in-law Sally Rodriguez of Burien, Irene Trujillo of West Valley City, Utah and Carol (Eli) Renteria of Ogden, Utah; brothers-in-law Joe Valerio of Provo, Utah, Tony (Carla) Valerio of Santaquin, Utah and Tom (Jody) Valerio of Delta, Utah; his many greatly loved nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews, cousins and beloved extended family and friends including good friend Linda Messick of Lacey.
The family will host a Celebration of Life March 23, 2024 in Anacortes.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that you donate to the National Parks Conservation Association, get outdoors and take a hike and/or enjoy some ice cream. Fudgie Wudgie was his favorite.
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Anacortes American
http://goanacortes.com
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