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. Please email notices to wabarnews@wsba.org.
Find obituaries from past issues of Bar News here.
Dorothy Bartholomew
#20887, 5/28/2025
Dorothy Bartholomew was born on Feb. 24, 1945. She earned her J.D. from Seattle University School of Law and was admitted to the WSBA in 1991. Bartholomew practiced bankruptcy law in the Tacoma area. She died on May 28, 2025, at the age of 80.
Daniel Biersdorf
#41995, 5/2/2025
Daniel Biersdorf was born on March 23, 1950, in Minnesota. He earned a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Minnesota in 1973 and a J.D. from the University of Minnesota School of Law in 1976. Biersdorf worked as a prosecutor for Hennepin County and as a corporate lawyer before starting his own firm, Biersdorf & Associates, in 1988. He focused on eminent domain law and was licensed to practice in 13 states. Described as infectiously optimistic and naturally charming, Biersdorf loved connecting with people. He also enjoyed spending time with family, visiting their lake house in northern Minnesota, fixing things, giving friends rides, and towing his sons, nieces, and nephews behind his boat. Biersdorf died on May 28, 2025, at the age of 75. He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Pat; his sons, Matt, John, and Dan; his siblings, Jack, Lee, Mary, and Beth; and many other family members.
Edward Hilpert Jr.
#1677, 1/23/2025
Edward Hilpert Jr. was born on April 29, 1928, to parents Rev. Edward Hilpert Sr. and Hulda Wilder Hilpert in Brainerd, Minnesota. Hilpert attended Concordia Academy in St. Paul and then joined the army, where he spent time in Japan. After his military service, Hilpert attended Washington University in St. Louis for a short period before being called back into service in Korea, where he served as an officer with the Airborne Rangers. Hilpert was wounded but recovered, and upon his return to the U.S., he enrolled at the University of Washington, earning his B.A. in 1954 and his J.D. in 1956. After graduating from law school, Hilpert worked as a law clerk for two years for U.S. District Court Judge George Boldt. In 1958, Hilpert joined the firm Ferguson and Burdell and in 1963, he became partner. He also served as a member of the 9th Circuit Judicial Conference Executive Committee from 1987 to 1990 and as a judge pro tem for Seattle Municipal Court. Hilpert retired from the firm then known as Schwabe, Williamson, Ferguson and Burdell. In 1973, Hilpert married Susan Hazelton Neimi and became stepfather to her two daughters, Lisa and Erica Niemi. Hilpert loved teaching the daughters tennis and taking family ski trips. After Susan also retired, she and Hilpert moved to Hilton Head, South Carolina, where they golfed, rode bicycles to the beach, and traveled abroad extensively. In 2017, they moved to Maine and then New Hampshire. Hilpert died on January 23, 2025. He is survived by his wife, Susan; her daughters, Lisa and Erica; his granddaughters, Rachael and Sophie; his sister, Ruth Maertens; and many nieces and nephews.
Joni Larson
#25649, 2/5/2024
Joni Larson was born on August 4, 1964, in Great Falls, Montana. Larson earned a bachelor’s degree and a J.D. from the University of Montana, an LL.M. from the University of Florida, and an additional master’s degree from Michigan State University. She worked as a tax lawyer for the IRS and a law professor at Cooley Law School. Outside of her legal career, Larson had many hobbies, including rooting for sports teams including the Washington Capitals and the Fort Wayne Komets; traveling; participating in 5k runs; competing in horse dressage; and specializing in horse massage. She had two horses, Micah and Dexter, and a three-legged cat, Aasha. Larson is described as extraordinarily smart, ambitious, and adventurous. She died on February 5, 2024, and is survived by her parents, Jerry and Judy DeCock; her siblings, Michael DeCock, Stephen DeCock, and Lisa Emeott; her nieces and nephews, Lynette, Darnell, David, Christian, and Allison; seven great-nieces and nephews; and her special friend, Chris.
Raymond Lee
#1278, 6/1/2025
Raymond Lee was born in Seattle on March 25, 1930, to parents Alf and Marie Lee. He attended Roosevelt High School, where he met his future wife, Joanne L. Gordon. Lee then joined the ROTC at the University of Washington, where he also played on the freshman football team and learned to play handball, which became a lifelong passion. After graduating from UW, Lee joined the Air Force. He was stationed at Neah Bay, spent time in Korea, and eventually earned the rank of 1st Lieutenant. After his military service, Lee earned his J.D. from the UW School of Law. He also married Joanne, and the couple would go on to have three children. Lee worked as a deputy prosecutor and then went into private practice. Years later, he was hired as general counsel by GTE Northwest, where he worked for 14 years. Lee practiced in Everett for five years after retiring from GTE Northwest, and then fully retired. Lee was active with the Sertoma and Rotary Clubs, the Meridias Club, the Washington Athletic Club, the Innis Arden Community Club, the Lutheran church, the Boy Scouts as a scoutmaster, and Little League Baseball as a coach. After retiring from their careers, Lee and Joanne bought an RV and spent 20 years traveling around the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Lee is described as warm, happy, generous, and outgoing. He always seemed to run into someone he knew anywhere he went and had many lifelong friendships. Lee died on June 1, 2025, and is survived by his wife, Joanne; their children, Kirk, Peter, and Joni; grandchildren, Jessica, Lyndsey, Megan, Jenny, Sammy, and Arika; step-grandchildren, Jeremy and Jacob; six great-children; and many other family members.
Brian MacKenzie
#44809, 3/21/2025
Brian MacKenzie earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from California State University in 2006 and his law degree from the University of La Verne College of Law in 2010. He moved to the Pacific Northwest in 2011 and became a member of the WSBA in 2012. MacKenzie joined the Sam B. Gunn Law Firm as an associate in 2014 and became partner of Gunn MacKenzie in 2019. He practiced estate planning, probate, and elder law. In January 2024, he purchased the firm. MacKenzie served on the Board of Directors of Lifeline Connections, an organization that provides care to individuals experiencing substance use or mental health disorders, and volunteered with Clark County Volunteer Lawyers Program. Outside of work, MacKenzie loved reading, food trucks, music, volunteering with his church, and all things Batman. MacKenzie and his wife, Gentry, lived in Vancouver with their two dogs, Banjo and Baxter.
Joshua Haubenstock
#46676, 5/31/2025
Joshua Haubenstock earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington, a paralegal certification from Edmonds College, and a J.D. from California Western School of Law. He practiced intellectual property law, most recently with Creative Planning Legal. Haubenstock regularly performed pro bono work; he appeared on the Washington Supreme Court’s Pro Bono Honor Roll several times and was honored by the WSBA with its Young Lawyers Division Public Service Award in 2015. He also helped develop the WSBA’s Mentorship Curriculum Guide in 2021. Haubenstock died suddenly at the age of 47. He is survived by his wife, Carrie Anderson, and his stepdaughter, Kennedy Anderson, age 14.
Stephen Schaefer
#897, 8/26/2024
Stephen Schaefer was born in November 1934 and admitted to the WSBA in 1959. He served as a Seattle Municipal Court judge for 20 years, from 1977 to 1997. Schaefer died on August 26, 2024.
Jerry Edwin Thonn
#2384, 5/11/2025
Jerry Edwin Thonn was born in Albert Lea, Minnesota, on March 7, 1932, to parents Agnes Bedford and Paul Thonn. Thonn grew up in Northwood, Iowa, and then Fargo, North Dakota, where his father was an attorney. Thonn attended Yakima Valley Junior College and then finished his undergraduate degree in business administration from the University of Washington in 1954. He then enlisted in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Austria and Italy. In 1959, Thonn earned his J.D. from Columbia University, where Ruth Bader Ginsburg was his classmate, a fact he loved to share. Thonn returned to Seattle, where he worked as a partner at Reed, McClure, Moceri & Thonn and later as an attorney with Helsell Fetterman. His practice involved civil lawsuits with a focus on insurance defense and insurance coverage cases. In 1961, Thonn married Ernalee McKneely, who had been a classmate at Yakima Junior College and had recently moved to Seattle to work in an art gallery. Thonn would become well known as an advocate for Seattle’s arts and civic communities. In 1964, he joined the Board of Allied Arts, where he would stay for decades and serve as president from 1968 to 1969. He provided legal expertise to help establish the Allied Arts Foundation, through which he led initiatives to plant street trees, regulate billboards, bury overhead utility wires, and support the 1% for Art initiative, which sets aside 1 percent of capital-improvement project funds for artwork in public spaces. Thonn was involved in many other projects that enriched Seattle’s cultural and physical landscape. He joined the Lake Union Coalition, which aimed to preserve Lake Union; he participated on the Forward Thrust Committee, which put forward several ballot initiatives including one for rapid transit in King County; and he was a major player in the “Friends of the Market” effort, which helped save Pike Place Market from being torn down and replaced with condos. Thonn saw Pike Place Market as a vibrant hub of culture, art, and community, and he remained deeply involved in it for decades, serving on the board of the Pike Place Market Public Development Authority from 1976 to 1992. Thonn was preceded in death by his wife, Ernalee. He is survived by his children, Jennifer, Zanella, and Jessica, and his grandchildren, Daphne, Chloe, and Alexander.
Charles K. Wiggins
#6948, 5/27/2025
Justice Charles K. Wiggins was born on Sept. 7, 1947, to parents Charles and Jane Wiggins. He attended Princeton University on an ROTC scholarship, graduating magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, and then served four years in the Army Military Intelligence Corps. He eventually earned the rank of captain and completed a master’s degree in business administration. Wiggins then earned his J.D. from Duke Law School. He started his legal career in 1976 with the firm Edwards, Sieh, Wiggins & Hathaway. While commuting from his home on Bainbridge Island to his office in Seattle, he met his future wife, Nancy, on the ferry. At Edwards, Sieh, Wiggins & Hathaway, Wiggins became a partner and focused primarily on appeals in the state Court of Appeals and Supreme Court, the federal 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, and once as co-counsel in the United States Supreme Court. He then started his own appellate firm with Ken Masters: Wiggins and Masters. In 2010, Wiggins was elected to the Washington Supreme Court, where he served until his retirement in 2020. He also served as a judge on Division II of the Washington Court of Appeals, as a pro tem superior court judge in King and Jefferson counties, and as a pro tem district court judge in Kitsap County. Wiggins was a dedicated volunteer with a variety of organizations. He was a member of Rolling Bay Presbyterian Church, where he served as an elder and joined youth mission trips; he volunteered with the Union Gospel Mission legal clinic; and he served as president of the Washington Chapter of the American Judicature Society. With the WSBA, he served on numerous boards and committees, including the Court Rules and Procedures Committee, the Disciplinary Board, and the Hearing Officer Panel. Outside of work, Wiggins had many hobbies. He built a wooden kayak, dug for geoducks, juggled, played poker, and snowboarded well into his 70s. He was also known for his bowties (his collection numbered more than 100), which he always wore in court and to the office. Wiggins died of complications from Parkinson’s disease at 77 years old. He is survived by his wife, Nancy; their children, Amy and Sam; his grandchildren, Jude and Thora; and his sisters, Jane, Helen, and Elizabeth.