Gladyne Rose Douglas passed away peacefully in West Seattle on August 16, 2024 at the age of 90. It was exactly eight months after the passing of her loving husband, Richard “Dick,” of 70 years.
Gladyne is survived by her five children: Debbie Valentine, Steve Douglas (Terry), Deanne “Coco” Douglas, Susie Szatkowski (John), David Douglas (Laura); eleven grandchildren: Curtis, Jr. (Sara) and Dennon Douglas-Majors; Chad, Rory (Laura Belle), Brady (Samantha), and Jake Douglas; Natalie Ceis (Nate); Jason and Matthew Szatkowski; Benjamin and William Douglas; and four great-grandchildren: Curtis Douglas-Majors III; Cormac, Augustin, and Jett Douglas. She was preceded in death by her sister Geri Thibodeau (Joe), along with her loving husband Dick.
Gladyne was born on January 25, 1934 in Seattle, to Guido and Annie Lucchesini. They moved to Cheyenne, Wyoming when she was about 2 years old, and her sister Geri was born there when she was 7. They relocated frequently within California, moving to Burlingame, where she stayed until she was 12. Then they relocated back to West Seattle, where her father took over the family business, The Delridge Tavern. Gladyne attended Holy Rosary High School, an all-girls school at that time. She went on to attend the University of Washington (UW) for 2 years, where she studied business and was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. During her time there, she formed lifelong friendships with many of her sorority sisters.
At fourteen, as a cheerleader for Seattle Prep, she first laid eyes on Dick Douglas at a Seattle Prep football game and developed a serious crush on him, though she was too young to date. During Rush of her Freshman year at UW, Dick, a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity, caught sight of her. It was during her sophomore year that they finally became acquainted. Their first date was in February, and by March, Dick had given her his fraternity pin. In October of that same year, Dick proposed to Gladyne.
