Jill Ann Princehouse died in Seattle, Washington on March 1, 2025. Her passing was peaceful, with her family at her bedside.
Jill was born in Seattle on August 22, 1942 to Marian Iris Wandel Wahlenmaier and William Franklin Wahlenmaier and spent her early life on the shores of Lake Sammamish and Hood Canal with her brother William and many Wandel cousins. She was awarded a scholarship to attend the all-girls St. Nicholas School in Seattle, where she graduated in 1960. Jill considered her years at St. Nick’s formative, and for the remainder of her life, she remained close to her classmates. She graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in pharmacy and married Doug Princehouse in 1964.
They started their married life in Everett, Washington, where son Steve was born in 1968. They moved to Vancouver, Washington, where daughter Sandie was born in 1970. They continued to live and work in Pacific Northwest lumber towns: Tillamook, Oregon; Portland, Oregon; Port Townsend, Washington; Omak, Washington; and Olympia, Washington, as Doug progressed in engineering and management and Jill worked part time as a pharmacist while raising a family
and volunteering. She focused her volunteerism on schools and children, the performing arts, and health and veganism and her efforts left a lasting impact: a new kindergarten in Tillamook, new schools in Port Townsend and Omak, and a new Performing Arts Center in Omak.
Jill and Doug shared a passion for boating and home projects. After retirement, they fulfilled a lifelong dream when they bought a boat, Passages, which took them to every nook and cranny of the San Juan Islands, the West Coast of Vancouver Island, Haida Gwaii (aka Queen Charlotte Islands), and Southeast Alaska. Years earlier, they had designed and built a waterfront home in Oceanside, Oregon and they continued to split their time between Passages and Oceanside. Their children and grandchildren shared many adventures on Passages or on the beach in Oceanside, where they learned beachcombing, fishing, and how to read a nautical chart.
When Doug was diagnosed with Myelodysplasia in 2012, Doug and Jill decided to move closer to medical care and family and returned home to Seattle. Doug died in 2015, and Jill continued to split her time between Seattle and Oceanside.
She met James Hanratty in 2016, and they remained together until Jim’s death in May 2024. Jill is survived by her son Steve Princehouse and former daughter-in-law Lauren (Seeds) Princehouse of Longview, Washington, and their three children: Cameron, Nigel and Tess Princehouse; and her daughter Sandie (Princehouse) Lord, son-in-law-James Lord of Seattle, and their two children Daniel and Matthew Lord.
Our Mom-Grandma-Nana was one of a kind, and our memories of her are a comfort as we mourn her loss.
