This In Remembrance section lists WSBA members by Bar number and date of death. The list is not complete and contains only those notices of which the WSBA has learned through correspondence from members. When available, obituaries are linked below.
Please email notices and requests to link obituaries to wabarnews@wsba.org.
Denny Anderson,
#2404, 11/15/2024
James Barnecut,
#7571, 12/11/2024
Richard Donaldson,
#4347, 10/30/2024
Joseph Ganz,
#3318, 12/10/2024
Steven Hathaway,
#24971, 11/30/2024
Duane Lansverk,
#1070, 9/3/2024
Robert Larson,
#1385, 11/17/2024
Thomas Lemly,
#5433, 9/18/2024
James McAteer,
#1605, 12/26/2024
James McGuire,
#28454, 11/20/2024
Stephen Nemec,
#36817, 12/20/2024
Donald Powell,
#12055, 12/26/2024
Daniel Ritter,
#2234, 10/23/2024
Patricia Roberts,
#11163, 10/16/2024
Kurt Salmon,
#7870, 6/16/2024
John Tondini,
#19092, 4/1/2024
Brian L. Comstock
#184, 11/15/2024
Brian Comstock attended Roosevelt High School in Seattle, graduating in 1950. He then attended the University of Washington, graduating magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a political science degree in 1954. Through the ROTC, Comstock served as a special agent of the U.S. Army Counter-Intelligence Corps in Washington, D.C., and then earned his law degree from Harvard in 1959. Comstock started his legal career with the Seattle firm Roberts & Shefelman, where he led the business practice group and served as managing partner. He later practiced with Foster Pepper & Shefelman, Short Cressman & Burgess, and finally with his son, John, at the Comstock Law Firm. Comstock served on the WSBA Board of Governors from 2008 to 2011, served as a Washington State Bar Foundation trustee from 2009 to 2011, and was heavily involved with the WSBA’s Senior Lawyers Section, serving on its executive committee for more than a decade. He also taught as an adjunct professor at Seattle University School of Law and Albers School of Business and Finance. Comstock’s passion for community service is evident in his many volunteer roles that included: commissioner of the Washington State Lottery, Rotarian, board member of Northwest Center, and board member of the South Seattle Community College Foundation. Comstock loved tennis and was an active member of the Seattle Tennis Club. He is described as adventurous—he obtained his pilot’s license, skydived, ran marathons, and climbed Mt. Rainier,
Mt. Everest Base Camp, and Mt. Kilimanjaro. In addition, he and his wife of over 64 years, Karen, enjoyed traveling together; their trip destinations included Europe, Russia, China, and India. Comstock died on Nov. 15, 2024, at age 92. He is survived by his wife, Karen; their sons, Mike and John; seven grandchildren; and his sister, Adele Strom.
Richard Elliott
#5605, 12/21/2020*
Richard Elliott was born on Nov. 5, 1942, in Portland, Oregon. He attended Oregon State University, enrolled in the Naval ROTC program, and earned his undergraduate degree in 1964. After graduation, Elliott served four years as an engineering officer with the U.S. Navy aboard the nuclear submarine USS Stonewall Jackson. Elliott resigned with honors from the Naval Reserve in 1972, with a final rank of Lt. Commander, USNR. Elliott earned a master’s degree in nuclear engineering from the University of Washington in 1970 and a J.D. from the UW School of Law in 1974. At UW, he met his future wife, Diane Godsey, who was also a student at the time. Elliott and Godsey married in 1972. After earning his law degree, Elliott joined the King County Prosecutor’s Office, where he worked for several years, eventually becoming a senior deputy prosecutor. During that time, he was the primary advisor to the Kingdome. In 1983, Elliott joined Davis Wright Tremaine, specializing in environmental and natural resource law, and from 1995 to 2000, he served as the managing partner of Davis Wright Tremaine’s Bellevue office. Elliott chaired Davis Wright Tremaine’s Diversity Committee for several years, served as a board member and secretary for the Bellevue Philharmonic Orchestra from 1985 to 2000, and provided pro bono representation to Holocaust survivors seeking restitution from the German government. Elliott retired from the practice of law in 2014 due to the progression of Parkinson’s disease. Outside of work, Elliott enjoyed golf, cycling, hiking, and, especially fishing on his Boston Whaler boat, the Puffin. He was fluent in German and loved traveling with his wife, who often spoke at fisheries conferences around the world. Elliott died on Dec. 21, 2020, of Parkinson’s disease. He is survived by his wife, Diane, and many friends and colleagues.
*The WSBA learned of Richard Elliott’s death in 2025.