By HDN Staff
POULSBO, Wash. Eldor E. Stenwick, 87, of Poulsbo, Wash., died Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2002, at a Poulsbo care center.
At his request, no services will be held.
Eldor was born Dec. 8, 1914, in a homestead shack on the prairies of Montana near the community of Fairchild, 20 miles north of Gildford, to Norwegian immigrants Mattie (Iverson) and Kasper Stenwick.
He was educated in a one-room country school, grades one through eight. Eldor could not speak English when he entered first grade at the Lilac School. There were no special ed classes at the Lilac School and he had to learn quickly to speak, read and write English to survive.
Stenwick worked in construction for several years, driving heavy equipment machinery until he was drafted into the U.S. Army, where he served four years during World War II. After Army service, he drove long-haul trucks for Lee and Estes, then finished his working career at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Shop 51.
Eldor was an avid fisherman and enjoyed many years fishing for salmon at Pillar Point on the Straits of Juan de Fuca. He also fished for cod in local waters before the codfish beds were depleted.
Eldor was a lifetime member of the Poulsbo Sons of Norway and a member of the National Association of Retired Federal Employees, Chapter 881.
Survivors include his wife, Harriet Stenwick of Poulsbo; stepsons, Terry Stenwick of Tukwila, Wash., Bruce Stenwick of Renton, Wash., and Denis Stenwick of Poulsbo, Wash.; eight grandchildren.
Donations may be made to Hospice of Kitsap County, P.O. Box 3416, Silverdale, WA 98383, or to a charity of one's choice.
