KINGSTON — Three people — including a couple known for fostering children and helping people overcome addictions — died Nov. 14 in a two-car head-on collision on Highway 104 near Balmoral Place NE in Kingston.
The State Patrol identified the deceased as Robin N. Bishop, 59, of Kingston, the lone occupant of a 1994 Lexus; and Anthony A. Adams and Marion D. Sparks, both 44, of Little Boston, the occupants of a 1985 Ford Escort. All were declared dead at the scene.
The crash occurred at about 7 p.m.
According to the State Patrol, Bishop was driving westbound on 104 when her vehicle crossed the center line and struck the Ford Escort, which was headed eastbound and was driven by Adams. The impact redirected Adams’ car toward the southwest shoulder and both vehicles ended up in the ditch.
According to State Patrol, Adams was the only one of the three wearing a seatbelt.
The roadway was blocked for 3 hours, 45 minutes Wednesday night. North Kitsap Fire & Rescue described roads as cold and foggy, and advised caution if drivers must be out on the roads.
The cause of the crash was under investigation Thursday.
The Herald could not contact Bishop’s next of kin by deadline Thursday.
But at Little Boston, the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe was helping people grieve from the loss of two well-known community members. Sparks, Port Gamble S’Klallam, and Adams, Suquamish, were a huge support to friends and family, according to Kelly Sullivan, the Tribe’s executive director of tribal services. “They took in foster kids and supported people who didn’t have any place to go,” she said.
Sullivan said donation boxes would be placed at the Gliding Eagle Market Place, to help defray funeral costs. The S’Klallam Wellness Center was open and staffed Thursday so residents could gather and support each other. The pastor of the S’Klallam Worship Center was available to visit with families. Meals were being prepared for the Adams and Sparks families.
Nicole Aikman, a Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe staff member, reported on Facebook that Tribal members who want to go to the wellness center but need transportation, from within the reservation or Kingston area, can call (360) 633-0100 for transportation. A celebration of the new S’Klallam language dictionary, scheduled for Thursday night, has been postponed.
Sharon Purser, a family friend, said Adams and Sparks had been teenage sweethearts, graduated from North Kitsap High School, married in 1987 and had four children and six grandchildren.
Adams was a commercial fisherman and served in the Army during Desert Storm. Sparks formerly worked for the S’Klallam Early Childhood Education Department, and both had worked at local casinos. They were known for their devotion to their family and others. “The one thing that strikes people is the love they had for each other,” Purser said. “They were instrumental in raising a lot of children in the community. Their doors were always open to young people. Marion was mom to a lot more than her own kids.”
Adams loved to cut wood, and kept his and other homes supplied with firewood, Purser said. Sparks was quite a cook and “she loved to feed people when they came around,” Purser said. The couple was also involved in the Sacred Waters Canoe Family.
The couple was involved in Narcotics Anonymous, or NA, and according to Purser they were on their way to an NA meeting in Kingston when they were killed.
“They were quite a ways into recovery, so much so that they were able to help other people new to recovery,” Port Gamble S’Klallam Chairman Jeromy Sullivan said. “I think they would like to be remembered as helping others. They were significant in the health of this community because they led by example, and because they changed their lives so they were able to help others.”
Their survivors include their adult children, Anthony Jr., Steven, Maylene and Domonique; their grandchildren, and other family members.
It was the third fatal crash in Kitsap County in a week, and the fourth death involving a North Kitsap person.
Kristina B. Blow, 52, of Kingston died Nov. 9 after her car crashed shortly before noon on State Highway 16 near Port Orchard.
On Nov. 8, Rodney Dale Boustead, 73, of Seabeck was declared dead at the scene of a head-on collision in the Crosby area of Seabeck, near the Hood Canal. The other driver was treated at the scene and released.
