Hester L. “Hestie” Ihrig Gilleland, 66, former resident of Raymond, passed away peacefully at Capital Medical Center in Olympia, Wash. On Tuesday, July 11, 2017, after a ten month battle with cancer. She was surrounded by family and friends and remarkably compassionate doctors and nurses who tended to her with loving touches, words, and kisses until she fell asleep and went to be with the Lord and her mother whom she loved and missed dearly. She was the former City Clerk Treasurer of the City of Raymond.
Hester was born on May 14, 1951, in Arlington, Wash. to Kenneth and Helen (Knudson) Bergan. She grew up in Arlington and graduated from Arlington High School in 1969. She would later attend and graduate with honors from the University of Washington in 1992 with a BA in Accounting. Like her mother, she was a Financial Controller for the cities and communities she worked for. She loved her job and took pride in her outstanding audits and reports.
In 1975, Hester married James Ihrig Jr. in Seattle, Wash. They had two children, Rebecca and Bryan and enjoyed raising them in Ocean Shores and the Grand Coulee Dam area. They later divorced in 1999. She then marriedagain and He later passed.
Hester was the City Clerk/Treasurer at Ocean Shores City Hall from 1976 to 1989, after being mentored by her mother. She and her family then moved to Coulee Dam where she worked as the City Clerk and then had the opportunity to return to the University of Washington and finish her degree. In 1994, she started work at Gold Bar City hall as the City Clerk/Treasurer until finally moving to Raymond, Wash. in 2005 to be closer to her family and grandkids. She retired as the City Clerk Treasurer in 2016 when she moved to be with her daughter.
She was a board member of HAVA, an animal rescue organization, The Washington State Finance Officers Association and the Washington Municipal Clerks Association. She enjoyed spending time with family and friends, going on family trips, playing slots at the casinos and reading. She also looked forward to girls weekend down the Oregon coast and watching her grandchildren’s sporting events and activities.
Hester is survived by her son Bryan Ihrig of Olympia and a daughter, Rebecca ‘Becca’ (Brandon) Richie of Aberdeen; a sister, Jeanne (Curt) Holm of Seattle; and three grandchildren: Dylan, Ashlyn and Hayden Richie.
A celebration of life will be held at the Raymond American Legion Hall on Saturday, July 29, at 1 p.m. A graveside memorial will take place Aug. 4, at Noon at Arlington Cemetery, Arlington, Wash. Friends and family are welcome.
A message of condolence or of a memory can be sent to the family at www.fernhillfuneral.com.
Cremation arrangements are entrusted to Twibell’s Fern Hill Funeral Home in Aberdeen, Wash.
