Earl Reives Pickering Jr

Earl Reives Pickering 5/21/1933 to 7/28/2026

Earl was the youngest of three children and born at Swedish Hospital in Seattle. Several years later the family moved to Bellingham where Earl’s father got a job in the midst of the Great Depression driving a bread delivery truck. Earl was confirmed in the Lutheran Church and graduated from Bellingham High School during and soon after the WWII years.

Earl enlisted in the United States Air Force April 8, 1952 and was stationed in Korea for a year near the front lines as a Weather Observer. His Air Force training led to a long career at the Weather Bureau, subsequently named the National Weather Service.

He married Joanne Louise Shafer in 1958 and soon thereafter moved to Tatoosh Island. They spent the first years of their marriage on this ten acre outpost off the most northwestern point of the continental United States. Earl’s career then took them briefly to Olympia and then Las Vegas for six years where he worked at the Nevada Test Site on nuclear bomb meteorology until 1970. By then, the family included sons Brian and Stanley. They then moved to Bainbridge Island near Seattle. Earl completed his long weather career in 1993.

That year Earl and Joanne also moved to Marrowstone Island. They referred to their eclectic waterfront home on Marrowstone as “on golden pond.” Prior to retirement, Earl

became interested in deep sea diving helmets and over several decades curated an envious collection of helmets or “hats” as they are known in the trade. He was friends with many luminaries in the diving world including Leon Lyons, Leslie Leaney, Torrance Parker (deceased) and Paul Aniotzbehere of Port Townsend. He was also acquainted with Dr. John Bevan and Phil Nuytten (both deceased).

Earl was preceded by his wife Joanne in 2017 and his son Stanley in 2021 as well as his older sisters Grace in 2002 and Lorraine in 2020. He is survived by his oldest son Brian and daughter in law Susy of Sequim, Washington and daughter in law Margaret of Bainbridge Island, Washington as well as many nieces and nephews from coast to coast. Earl will be remembered most for his humor, kindness and his diving helmet collection. One of his nieces referred to him as “my coolest uncle.” He was that and so much more and will be greatly missed by family and friends near and far.