Natalie Elizabeth (Duncan) Bryson passed away peacefully and surrounded by family at her home on the Hood Canal. Born in Massachusetts, she graduated high school with honors. Although she was awarded a scholarship to a prestigious college, she was unable to attend due to her father’s grave illness, so to help support her family she started her career as the first female linotype operator in Massachusetts, operating a huge machine that fed hot lead to set newspaper type.
As a mother raising six children in a military family, she traveled to all 50 states and Europe. She later served as a public relations representative for a national travel company and took thousands of people on trips to all seven continents, including Antarctica. From her youth, she had a fascination with China, and she became an expert on Chinese porcelains. She traveled to China twenty-four times, often leading delegations with government officials and sometimes serving as a liaison between cultures.
After moving with the family to Silverdale in 1966, Natalie opened her business, Antiques & Epicure, and she turned her attention to community service. She was a member of the Silverdale Chamber of Commerce for 50 years, was the first woman admitted to full membership in the Silverdale Rotary, and one of the first female Rotarians in the country. In the 1990’s, she joined the Kitsap County HIV/AIDS Foundation, taking over as President when the charity had only $31 in the bank. Working from her dining room table, she garnered support and donations, which resulted in substantial grants to individuals and institutions. In 2008, the Pride Foundation honored her with its “Community Treasure Award” for her support of LGBTQ individuals and work on issues related to HIV/AIDS.
Natalie was a long-time supporter of Olympic College, where she served both as an instructor and fundraiser for the OC Foundation. She was also an active member of the U.S. Navy League, the World Affairs Council, the Washington State China Relations Council, the Pride Foundation, and the Asian Art Museum, among other organizations, foundations, and charities.
In the late 1980’s, Natalie founded the Paul Linder Educational Foundation in honor of the former Central Kitsap School Superintendent. The organization has raised more than $200,000 for students and staff to pursue educational excellence. Among other grants, her efforts resulted in ensuring that every third-grader in the Central Kitsap schools receives a dictionary, and, with support of the Silverdale Rotary, that all classroom maps were upgraded.
Natalie received many awards and accolades, including being named 2002 Woman of Achievement by the YWCA of Kitsap County; receiving the 2018 Certificate of Merit from the Washington Association of School Administrators; the 2003 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Kitsap County Council for Human Rights; the 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Kitsap County Democrats; induction into the Kitsap Mental Health Services’ Silver Rose Society; and being named Washington Citizen of the Day by Governor Jay Inslee. She was also a member of the Elizabeth Ellington Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
She is survived by her children – Elizabeth A. Bryson (Theodore Peterson) of New York City; M Amelia Taylor (David) of Santa Barbara, California; William MacLean Bryson, Jr. (Sheri) of Silverdale, Washington; and Rebecca J. Bryson (Fred Marchand) of Bellingham, Washington; by her granddaughters and grandson – Amy R. Curtis (Ben Riemer) of Portland, Oregon; Sarah G. Chamberlain (Jeffrey) of Seattle, Washington; Elizabeth H. Curtis (Eric Valenzuela) of Los Angeles, California; Madison D. Taylor of Chicago, Illinois; and Jonathan L.B. Peterson (Gabriela Kogut) of New York City; by four great-grandchildren: AidenIsaac and TeslaAnne Curtis, and Sadie and Keane Chamberlain; by her sister Muriel Anne Standley (Richard) of Springfield, Ohio; sisters-in-law Jennabell Duncan and Patricia Ludy; and numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews. She was preceded in death by her sons, David Duncan Bryson and James Hill Bryson; her parents, Amy L. (Hill) and Harry Follett Duncan of Weymouth, Massachusetts; and her brothers, Robert E. Duncan, and William E. Duncan.
The family thanks everyone who loved Natalie and showered her with kindness. This includes the doctors and staff at the Virginia Mason Medical Center and Clinic, the U.S. Naval Hospital, and Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue. The family especially thanks her dear friends around the world for their affection and thoughtfulness, and the “Golden Girls” with whom she shared a love of playing cards and camaraderie for many decades. She loved you all.
Condolences and remembrances may be sent to the family at P.O. Box 2000, Silverdale, WA 98383-2000. Natalie supported many charities, including The Paul Linder Educational Foundation, The Pride Foundation, the Silverdale Rotary Club Foundation, the Olympic College Foundation, and the Virginia Mason Foundation. (Contacts for these charities, as well as additional details about Natalie’s life, can be found at nataliebryson.org.). Burial will be private. A Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday, July 8, 2018, at 2 p.m., at Klahowya Secondary School, 7607 NW Newberry Hill Road, Silverdale, WA 98383.
