Mel Winkler, 84, passed away on August 8, 2016 at his home in Duvall, Washington leaving behind his extensive family along with his loving wife Betty who cared for him during his 8 year battle with cancer. Mel was born and raised in Port Townsend, Washington on April 4, 1932. His family lived in Port Ludlow where he attended elementary school. The family then moved to the Bothell/Canyon Park area. He often spent time with friends in the Snoqualmie Valley where he met Patricia Joyce at the local barn dances. They married on September 18, 1953. After 27 years, sadly, Patricia passed away from cancer in 1981. Together they have three children, James (Jim) with his daughter Rachel, Lisa Thompson with husband Mike, their children Cody and Kirby, and Geri Kuntz with husband Glen, their children Dustin and wife Sara with great-grandchildren Natalie and Jack, and Tyler and fianc+¬ Stacey. After 17 years of friendship, Mel and Betty were finally married at Swiss Hall on February 3, 2007 with a fantastic auction themed wedding and party with all of their friends. Lucky for him, on this day he inherited Betty's family, and they loved him dearly. His inherited family includes Betty's 5 children, 13 grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren and a great-great grandchild. Mel co-owned Joyce & Winkler Logging with his father-in-law. Notably, they logged Hyak and Alpental ski slopes at Snoqualmie Summit. Mel also worked for Jess Faye and Jim Faye logging for a number of years. From there he joined the Union in 1962 working on the Tolt Dam. In the 1970s he worked in Alaska on the pipeline, in 1980 he dredged the rivers following the eruption of Mount St. Helens. Finally, after many years at Northwest Boring, he ended his career at the age of 65. Mel served 50+ years as a member of the Operating Engineers 302 Union. Throughout his life, especially during his retirement years, he was blessed to have the perfect partner in Betty. Together they loved the outdoors including camping, hunting and fishing. Some of their favorites fishing spots were Lake Conconully, Canada, Alaska and the Columbia River. The family will hold a private graveside memorial, with public service to be held at a later date. In memory, please forward donations to Evergreen Hospice Care and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center at Evergreen. A special thanks to Dr. Tim Carlos and staff at Evergreen Cancer Center for extraordinary care.
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