In the past year, the Tri-Cities lost several business and civic leaders who have shaped the area, including

TRIDEC vice president and Tri-Cities champion Gary Petersen; community advocate and entrepreneur Josefina Wannarachue; and Charles “Chuck” Stack, a local Round Table Pizza owner.

Here’s a look back at some of the Tri-Cities’ most notable losses in 2023.

Dr. Rod Coler

Dec. 9, 1924 – Jan. 6, 2023

Dr. Rod Coler, a doctor who opened Kennewick’s first internal medicine practice, died Jan. 6. He was 98.

He moved to Kennewick from Portland in 1958, when he was asked to open a practice there. In his 48 years of practice, he was twice named Kennewick General Hospital chief of medical staff and served on the KGH Board from 2003-05. During his practice, the hospital grew from 30 to 101 beds, and Coler helped recruit new doctors to the area. At 82, he closed his medical practice, the same year the Kennewick General Hospital named its new senior health center after him.

He was also a nature enthusiast and helped maintain the Audubon Nature Trail in Columbia Park. In 2001 the trail was named after him. He is remembered as adventurous and kind.

Stephen Knutzen

Feb. 19, 1948 – Jan. 8, 2023

Stephen Knutzen, the owner and operator of Knutzen’s Meats in Pasco, died Jan. 8. He was 74.

Born in Shelton, he lived in the Tri-Cities for 52 years. He worked on a farm before launching a mobile butcher truck called Knutzen’s Kustom Kill, which later transformed into a full custom meat shop. The business grew to include retail meat sales, becoming Knutzen’s Meats, and continued to serve fine quality meats when Knutzen retired from mobile butchering.

He was also a skilled golfer and is known for easily making friends.

Dr. Harold Ellner

Nov. 17, 1927 – Jan. 18, 2023

Dr. Harold J. Ellner, a urologist in the Tri-Cities, died Jan. 18 in Seattle. He was 95.

Born in New York City, Ellner practiced urology in the Tri-Cities from 1960-99. He was a member of the Tri-City Radio Club and edited the newsletter for the Richland Rotary Club, of which he was also a member. He published several scientific articles as well as a book on medical humor. He also served as president of the Benton-Franklin Counties Medical Society.

Kent Hoover

Jan. 13, 1954 – Jan. 23, 2023

Kent Hoover, who served in the Richland Police Department for 26 years, died Jan. 23 after a cancer diagnosis. He was 69.

He was born in Baker City, Oregon, and grew up in Walla Walla. In the Richland Police Department, he served as a corporal, sergeant, firearms instructor and canine handler before retiring in 2006. He was also passionate about hunting and fishing and raised racing quarter horses for over 30 years. 

Bill Siefken

Oct. 8, 1930 – Feb. 7, 2023

Bill R. Siefken Senior, founder of Siefken & Sons Construction, died Feb. 7. He was 92.

After serving in the Air Force and completing a machinist apprenticeship, Siefken and his family moved to Richland in 1961. He worked for G.E. at Hanford, then FFTF. He built three of his own homes while employed at Hanford, then founded Siefken & Sons Construction in 1975. He was able to retire from Hanford as the construction business grew, then eventually he passed it along to the next generation.

He was an active member of the Redeemer Lutheran Church and the Richland Rotary Club, where he received the  Service Above Self award in 2001. He also received the Small Business of the Year Award for Excellence in 1995.

He stayed active through the years and was known for being a respected leader, employer and businessman.

Loretto Hulse

April 11, 1953 – March 12, 2023

Loretto Hulse of Pasco, a former Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business reporter, died March 12 after an illness. She was 69.

She lived in the Tri-Cities for 54 years and was a retired reporter for the Tri-City Herald, where she worked for a total of 38 years. She worked at the Senior Times and Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business from 2014-16. She published over 1,000 articles and earned multiple journalism awards.

She had a love for animals and nature, and her writing often focused on people who love to cook. She was also an early advocate of the local wine industry.

Jose Chavallo

Oct. 7, 1962 – May 6, 2023

Noted developer Jose Alfredo “Fred” Chavallo died unexpectedly on May 6. He was 60.

Along with his wife, he built a construction business that his two children later joined. Before then, he served in the Army Reserve and Army National Guard for six years, then worked as a firefighter at the Hanford nuclear site for 20 years, both before and during his construction career. He had a passion for building things that added value and beauty to the community, and he is remembered as a loving husband and father.

Charles “Chuck” Stack

Oct. 1, 1955 – May 25, 2023

Charles “Chuck” Robert Stack, the owner of several local Round Table Pizza restaurants, died May 25. He was 67.

He first moved to the Tri-Cities in 1989 without much, but after being offered the chance to be a partner in a bankrupt pizza restaurant, he was able to eventually buy out the owner and continue to develop the Round Table Pizza franchises for 25 more years. He cared deeply for those who worked for him and helped them to grow and thrive.

When he retired, he sold the pizza shops to Columbia Industries in order for them to remain a source of good in the community. He also served on the board of the Clover Island Yacht Club and was devoted to his family and friends.

Willard “Bill”  Meader

Nov. 23, 1933 – June 3, 2023

Willard Lingel Meader of Richland, a former brigadier general and retired physician, died June 3. He was 89.

He was an Air Force flight surgeon for 30 years, serving at bases in many different parts of the world. He was recognized with several awards, culminating in the Distinguished Service Medal. After retiring as a brigadier general in 1989, he became the president of Hanford Environmental Health Foundation, then the regional vice president of Group Health Northwest until his retirement in 1997. 

Paul Parish

May 4, 1936 – June 17, 2023

Paul Parish, a former Kennewick City Councilman, died June 17. He was 87.

He was named Kennewick Man of the Year in 2009 and served on the Kennewick City Council for 24 years before retiring in 2019. He was honored by the council, which renamed the Columbia Park Trail along Columbia River in Kennewick after him in recognition of his service to the city and advocacy for the park.

He was passionate about Columbia Park and contributed greatly to many of its improvement projects. He also took part in many projects improving other parts of Kennewick, including the 9/11 Memorial and the Gesa Carousel of Dreams.

Josefina Wannarachue

March 30, 1944 – July 2, 2023

Josefina Wannarachue, a community advocate and entrepreneur, died July 2 after a cancer diagnosis. She was 79.

She was born in the Philippines and moved to Kennewick in 1972. She served the city in many ways through organizations such as the Pasco-Kennewick Rotary, Mid-Columbia Arts Council, the Children’s Reading Foundation, Safe Harbor Crisis and Domestic Violence Services, and more. She was a role model and was named Kennewick Woman of the Year in 2013, becoming the first Asian recipient of the award.

Wannarachue helped recruit physicians to the Tri-Cities and wrote a cookbook on Thai cuisine. She traveled the world and owned a travel agency at one point simply because she loved to travel. She also hosted several foreign exchange students who still refer to her as Mom. She is remembered for her vibrant spirit and enthusiasm for life.

Harold “Harry” Garrison

April 26, 1946 – July 4, 2023

Harold “Harry” Lee Garrison, owner of Garrison’s Home Appliance, died July 4. He was 77.

Born in Michigan, Garrison moved to Richland in 1976, where he worked at Hanford for Westinghouse during development of the Fast Flex Test Facility. In 1983, he and his wife started a small appliance business out of their garage. This eventually led them to open “Northwest Appliance,” which eventually grew into two stores in Kennewick and Hermiston now called Garrison’s Home Appliance Center.

He enjoyed meeting and creating relationships with others as well as spending time outdoors fishing and boating. He was a 50-year Mason and past master and secretary from 1988 to 2010 in the Richland Masonic Lodge 283. He was also involved in the Columbia Center Rotary.

Jerrold “Jerry” Bookwalter

May 12, 1940 – Aug. 21, 2023

Jerrold “Jerry” Richard Bookwalter, founder of Bookwalter Winery, died Aug. 21 from complications of colon cancer. He was 83.

He spent the first 13 years of his career managing farms in California, later farming his own ranch. In 1976, he became the general manager of Sagemoor Farms north of Pasco and moved to Washington. He later left Sagemoor and founded Bookwalter Winery, becoming a pioneer wine grower who helped bring the Washington wine industry to prominence. With the Washington wine industry just starting at the time, he spent time learning and developing markets for the grapes and consulting with other industry leaders. He retired in 2008, turning over winery ownership to his son, who renamed the winery to J. Bookwalter Winery.

Bookwalter was the vice president of the Washington Wine Grape Growers Association in 1985 and was named Honorary Grower of the Year at the 2011 Auction of Washington Wines.

John Fox

Oct. 1, 1927 – Sept. 26, 2023

John Fox, a former Richland mayor, councilman, planning commissioner, parks commissioner and school board member, died Sept. 26. He was 95.

He came to the Tri-Cities to work at Hanford in 1951. After his retirement, he became involved in the city council, city parks and the B Reactor project. Fox served citizens for decades in his official capacities in addition to his work on countless other community projects. He retired as mayor in late 2013.

Dean Schau

May 2, 1952 – Oct. 19, 2023

Dean Schau of Pasco, a retired labor economist for the Washington Employment Security Department and a retired economics professor at Columbia Basin College, died Oct. 19. He was 71.

He moved to the Tri-Cities for a short time to work with the state employment agency, then ended up staying when he was offered a job teaching at Columbia Basin College. He eventually became a full-time teacher, a position he held for 25 years.

In his role as regional labor economist, he used the state database of employment and income statistics to tell the story of growth in the Tri-Cities from World War II onwards. He regularly provided important context for the media, and he spoke on the state economy at chamber luncheons, Tri-City Development Council gatherings and other business events.

Gary Petersen

Nov. 5, 1940 – Oct. 27, 2023

Gary Petersen, a former TRIDEC vice president and a champion of the Tri-Cities, died Oct. 27, 2023. He was 82.

He devoted 52 years of his career to Tri-Cities issues, including 14 years at the Tri-Cities Development Council. Prior to joining TRIDEC, he worked for PNNL’s International Nuclear Safety Program, retiring in 2003. Before then, he served as PNNL’s director of communications for nine years. He was an advocate for Hanford cleanup and worked for the community.

Petersen and his wife had been living in Idaho for the past year or so to be closer to family. He was a proud graduate of Washington State University, where he served as editor of The Daily Evergreen. He also served in the Army, where he was trained as a reporter. 

Richard “Dick” Shaw

June 10, 1939 – Oct. 27, 2023

Richard “Dick” Henry Shaw, a wine grape grower on Red Mountain, died Oct. 27. He was 84.

Shaw spent many years in Tacoma, where he worked on many projects and became invested in Gig Harbor. In the 1980s, he became an investor in a Mattawa vineyard, which was the beginning of Shaw Vineyards. He and his wife were recipients of the Auction of Washington Wines Grower of the year award in 2015 and inducted into the Legends of Washington Wine Hall of Fame in 2018.

Over the years, Shaw Vineyards has expanded to become a major wine grape grower on Red Mountain, supplying wine grapes to over 100 of the finest wineries in Washington. Shaw also had many wonderful business partners who became lifelong friends.

Dean Mitchell

Sept. 1, 1934 – Nov. 8, 2023

Dean William Mitchell, owner of the KONA radio station, died Nov. 8. He was 89.

He was born in Bismarck, North Dakota, and later moved to Pullman, Washington, where he worked at his college radio station. After graduation, he worked at KVOS-TV in Bellingham before moving to Kennewick, where he managed KEPR radio, later changed to KONA AM/FM, which he eventually bought. He avidly covered and promoted the area’s first hydroplane races.

Mitchell was also involved in groups such as the Tri-City Chamber, TRIDEC, the CBC Foundation, the Kennewick Housing Authority (he was a commissioner for 30 years) and the Kennewick Man of the Year organization. He was named Kennewick Man of the Year in 1980 and the Tri-Citian of the Year in 1982. He served as the president of the Man of the Year program for two decades.

Holly Dohrman

July 30, 1968 – Nov. 10, 2023

Franklin PUD’s assistant general manager died Nov. 10  at age 55 after being treated for cancer. Holly Dohrman joined the agency’s leadership team in 2015, starting out as the power manager and then earning a promotion to assistant general manager.

At the agency, she pursued partnerships with local and regional entities that helped keep customer rates as low as possible, Franklin PUD officials wrote in a statement. She also oversaw the Automatic Meter Infrastructure (AMI) committee and led deployment of AMI smart meters throughout the district, she was instrumental in the development of power cost and financial forecasts for a clearer financial picture, and she secured a long-term power supply contract to help with large load growth, the statement said.

Before joining the agency, Dohrman worked for Klickitat PUD from 2002-15.

She was a wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and friend to many.