Thomas Dosey Obituary

With woodchips in his beard and fishing in his heart, Thomas Stanley Dosey was a quintessential
man of the Olympic Peninsula. Tom's voyage through life began the summer of 1953 on his family's farm
up Palo Alto Road in Sequim. Since he could walk, Tom was bucking hay and milking cows at the
direction of his father, Stanley - a WWII hero who was tougher than the nails that still support his barn
today. In between chores, Tom spent time by the pond fishing for rainbow trout and shooting
salamanders with his BB-gun. The latter activity his loving mother, Hilder, repeatedly punished him for.
Although she had a lively sense of humor, she didn't have time for insensitive mischief raising not only
Tom, but also his sisters, Linda and Sandy, and brother, Dan. Times were tough for the crowded Dosey
homestead and they would only get tougher. Stanley won many battles overseas but he lost his battle
with cancer while Tom was still a young boy. This loss reinforced Tom's resourcefulness and
independent spirit yet left him forever longing for more time and direction from the father he highly
respected.
As he progressed through adolescence, Tom would often clear manure from a spot on the floor
of the barn. Here he taught himself how to dribble and shoot a basketball under the light of a single bulb
and with a makeshift hoop he hung from a rafter. Despite the rustic facility, he developed remarkable
skills earning a spot on the Sequim High School and Peninsula College basketball teams. Once he was
finished with school though, he traded in his jersey for a chainsaw to become an independent logger.
Having surgical precision with felling trees, an unwavering work ethic, and bills to pay, there was no
forest of fir or cedar that stood a chance against Tom the lumberjack. Unfortunately, paying gigs were
sparse. Though the work could support his habit of snagging salmon from the Dungeness and Elwha
rivers, it couldn't support the family Tom was building. Consequently, he sacrificed some of his
independence for a steady paycheck offered by the union at the Port Townsend Paper Mill. For over 35
years he would turn woodchips into pulp and pulp into paper providing a comfortable life for his wife,
Gail, and three children: Josh, Kathryn, and Tim.
Motivated by the missing piece of his childhood, Tom was the most loving and supportive dad
any son or daughter could be blessed with. To cement lifelong memories, he took his kids on countless
trips to reel trout out of Lake Leland and gaff halibut from the Strait of Juan de Fuca. In addition to being
a dependable fishing guide, his kids also relied on him as a coach and mentor in sports and life. Never
reluctant to share his trove of wisdom, Tom would bestow guidance and unyielding encouragement for
any challenge his children encountered. Even after they grew into adults, he didn't stop providing the
direction they needed because he understood a father's job is never finished.
Tom's voyage ended much like it began. With the Olympic Mountains as the backdrop during a
pleasant Sequim summer and in the shadow of the barn he built in the image of his father's. Passing
away peacefully in his sleep at home, he is survived by his wife, siblings, children, three grandchildren,
and many nieces and nephews. His ashes will be placed near his father in the Sequim View Cemetery
and a celebration of Tom's life will be held at a later date on the Dosey property up Palo Alto Road.