Edward “Ed” DeLeeuw, 78, died at April 30, 2003, at his home in Mount Vernon following a lengthy illness. He was born April 27, 1925 in Sultan to William and Effie DeLeeuw. He was a member of Grace Presbyterian Church in Mount Vernon.

He married Margaret Kingma March 8, 1946 in Oak Harbor; they lived in Oak Harbor until they moved to Mount Vernon in 1963. She preceded him in death in 1996 shortly after their golden wedding anniversary. Oct. 31, 1998, he married Myrtle Batchelor, also of Mount Vernon, and in addition to her loving companionship, she provided gentle care during his decline in health.

Mr. DeLeeuw worked for Oak Harbor Freight Lines, Tom Stroops Garage and for the Chevrolet dealership, all in Oak Harbor. He also was employed in Sedro-Woolley with Skagit Steel Corp. and retired from Hyster Corporation in 1990. His hobbies were gardening, fishing and RV’ing.

Survivors include his wife Myrtle; daughter Patricia (Al) Vanderpol of Phoenix, Ore., and their children, Alicia and Ryan; daughter Claudia (Tom) Latimer of Acme and their children, Jessica and John; son Don (Agnes) DeLeeuw of Mount Vernon and their daughters Denise and Becky; sister Agnes Bult of Grand Rapids, Mich.; brothers Jack of Greeley, Colo., Bill and Quincy and David of Seattle.

At Ed’s request, a private graveside service was held May 2 at Hawthorne Memorial Park; Pastor David Klein officiated. Memorials may be made to Skagit Hospice, P.O. Box 1376, Mount Vernon 98273. Arrangements are by Hawthorne, Mount Vernon.