Legendary island historian Etta Egeland dies at 105

An Island icon is dead. Etta Elizabeth Lightheart Egeland, granddaughter of San Juan County pioneers, died September 9, 2002 in her Friday Harbor home. At 105 years, she lived in three centuries. Islanders of all ages and all walks of life will greatly miss her advice, knowledge, wisdom, warm heart and youthful sense of humor.

Etta loved people and wanted to help them by bringing the past alive. Not only because she lived it, but because she remembered so well for so many years. She worked thousands of hours recording genealogies and memories, gathering artifacts and antiques from pioneer families so that their history would be preserved. The life-long endeavor kept her spirit young.

Etta Lightheart was born to Annie and Alexander Lightheart on November 10, 1896 on San Juan Island at Straitsview, her grandfather's squatter's-rights farm. An Indian midwife oversaw her birth in a log cabin.

Egeland's grandfather, Peter Lawson, came to the San Juan Islands from Denmark in 1856 and her grandmother, Fanny (Deardon) Lawson arrived in Victoria on a Bride's Ship from Manchester, England. They married and had four boys and four girls -- one of which was Annie, Etta's mother. Etta's father, Alexander Lightheart, moved from Michigan to San Juan Island in 1889. Alexander and Annie Lightheart had three children -- Harold, Calvin and Etta.

In 1915, Etta married Harry Egeland, a Norwegian immigrant who worked in the local shake mill as a shingle weaver. He later raised and marketed turkeys. Etta and Harry had two children -- Juanita Marcella and Edward Calvin. Edward died at age 7 from polio. Etta and Harry lived in a home on Spitz's Hill, behind the Town of Friday Harbor's water tower for 49 years, until Harry died in 1964. Etta moved to Argyle Street, where she resided for 38 years.

Etta's passion for local history began when she was exposed to museums in Victoria at an early age. She saw Queen Victoria during a bicentennial parade there. In 1924, she began the first of 74 years of volunteer work at the antique booth at the San Juan County Fair. That work gave her the idea to start a museum. Islanders started donating items and in 1953 Etta created a small display in the San Juan County Courthouse. In 1975, George Peacock donated a house that had been part of the King Family Ranch and the San Juan Historical Society and Museum began.

Using her remarkable memory, Etta loved helping museum visitors find their lineage. In addition to founding the museum and being its Curator Emeritus, she also contributed hundreds of hours volunteering for the Grange, garden club, study club, and created 16 floats for the County Fair and Fourth of July parades. She narrated history for local bus tours, gave Elderhostel groups tours of the museum and worked with others to establish local parks before any existed. She presented the first San Juan County flag to former Gov. Booth Gardner during the Governor's Ball in Olympia.

Etta's efforts to keep history in San Juan County alive were recognized. The resource center at the museum is named after her. Known as the Island Historian, hundreds of newspapers articles were written about her. Several authors dedicated books to her and others thanked her for her knowledge of island history. San Juan County Commissioners, the Town of Friday Harbor Council and Mayor, and other islanders honored Etta on her 100th birthday with a weakish celebration, which included "Etta Egeland Day," and a remembrance pin.

Besides all her "freebie work," Etta found time to be a wife, mother and wage-earner. She was a telephone operator for nine years, an income tax return preparer, dispatcher, domestic servant, fish cannery worker, dishwasher for the Bug Station and liquor store clerk. She also loved gardening, cooking and sewing -- with a treadle machine. She followed current events throughout her life and politics kept her conversation lively. Her favorite First Lady was Eleanor Roosevelt.

In her lifetime Etta traveled by horse and buggy; saw the Wright Brothers fly their plane at the San Francisco Panama Pacific International Exposition while on her honeymoon in 1915; witnessed the first automobiles on San Juan Island, where her brother Calvin drove the first car for hire, a 1912 White Steamer Flanders; witnessed three world wars; watched men walk on the moon. She saw many hungry times and many good times. Throughout it all, when ever you said to Etta, "Have a good day!", her reply was, "It's always a good day!"

Etta is survived by her daughter, Juanita Rouleau of San Juan Island; three grandchildren, Ed Rouleau of San Juan Island, JoAnn and Don Hickethier of Oceanside, Calif.; Jeanie and Jim Garrett of San Juan Island; four great-granchildren, Edie and Gary Severin of Ellensburg; Laurie and John Dirvanowski of Marysville; Pam Fuehr Bush of San Juan Island, Phil Fuehr of Edmonds; six great-great-grandchildren, Erin, Morgan, Zena, Kale, Maclin, Carter; and many other relatives.

Please send memorials to the San Juan Historical Society or the San Juan Senior Center.