Alberta Dressel

Alberta Ruth Dressel of Poulsbo died July 14 in The Hospice Center in Bremerton after a short stay. She was 92.

Dressel was born Oct. 19, 1916, in Olympia. She was the third child of Fred Isaac Baker and Alberta Gabriel Baker. She and her brother and two sisters grew up in Lakewood. She attended Lincoln High School in Tacoma, as there was no high school in Lakewood then. She was active in drama and music groups in high school, singing several roles in operettas.

After high school graduation, Dressel became a beauty operator until she married. She married Lee Hart Johnson in 1938, and they had three children. They lived in Lakewood, where Dressel was very active in the Lakewood Players, appearing in many plays and working on costumes and makeup for several other plays. The Johnsons moved to the Spokane Valley in 1954, returning to Lakewood in 1955. Their children finished high school in Lakewood. Dressel was very active in her church in Lakewood. She worked at Rhodes department store, beginning in 1955, and later at Lou Johnson’s clothing store until 1969. Dressel and Lee were divorced in 1964.

In about 1970, Dressel began working for Talcott’s Jewelry Store in Olympia, managing the china, crystal and silver department. She retired from Talcott’s in 1978 and began working for a women’s clothing store in University Place.

She married Pearce Allen Dressel in 1980 and they lived in University Place for a few years. They moved to Tustin, Calif., and later to Aloha, Ore., where Pearce retired. They then moved to Carlyon Beach Country Club in Olympia, near Steamboat Island, where her family had vacationed many summers when she was a child. Finally, they moved to Viking Park in Poulsbo in 1996, and they became active in the Bainbridge Island Christian Science Church. Pearce died Aug. 18, 2005. She also was predeceased by both of her sisters and her brother.

She is survived by a daughter: Linda Gabriel of Poulsbo; two sons: Stephen (Vicki) Johnson of Bainbridge Island and Christopher (Jean) Johnson of Fircrest; two stepsons: Paul (Brenda) Dressel of Newcastle and Pearce (Janet) Dressel of Sante Fe, N.M.; and a stepdaughter: Patricia (Ben) Zanin of Ferndale. She also is survived by five grandchildren, five step-grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren and two nieces and a nephew.

A memorial service, followed by a celebration of Alberta’s life, is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Aug. 16 at the Bainbridge Island Commons, 402 Bjune Drive.

In lieu of flowers, donations are suggested to Hospice of Kitsap County; First Church of Christ, Scientist, Bainbridge Island; the Alzheimer’s Organization Washington State Chapter; or the charity of the donor’s choice.