Ermine Mullins, a beloved husband and father went home to be with Jesus on June 29, 2019. Ermine was born in Pound, Virginia to Cassie and Esther Mullins, the first of their five children, on July 22, 1943. The siblings that followed Ermine were Blanch (Lucas), Laura (Brougher), Wilma Lene, and Steve Mullins. Wilma Lene died at 10 months old.

Esther and her children moved to Raymond, Washington in 1953 while Cassie stayed in Pound, Virginia. Cassie was killed in an incident in 1957. Esther married John Nichols, and they had three children together. Ermine became the happy, big brother to Debbie (Williams), Joy (Milton), and Paul Nichols.

On March 9, 1964, Ermine married Betty Milton after dating for only three months. They were married by Betty’s father, the Reverend Elmer Milton. They did not rush off to a honeymoon. Rather, they had a piece of pie and Ermine headed off to work at the Weyerhaeuser Saw Mill in Raymond. They had five children. Heidi (Black) “the Sweetie,” Ermine Wesley (Wes) “the Burly,” Jacob and Joshua “the Twins,” and Candi (Burns) “the Stina Woman.” They also had 13 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. They were married for 52 years when Betty preceded him in death on Nov. 5, 2016.

Ermine worked in the mill for 36 years. He was instrumental for safety changes in the mill and other ideas. Among his ideas were the cable pulls to shut down machines instead of running to hit a shut-off switch, the use of multiple cameras for operators to see what was going on, and the use of lasers to site for precision cuts. He was renowned for the huge lunches with lots of goodies in them. Some of his friends loved raiding his lunchbox. One such person, Tom Matson, said to him one day after being caught, “Don’t you know…Thou Shalt Divide?”

Ermine was an avid hunter and fisherman. He thoroughly enjoyed the outdoors, but what he loved the most was his family. He was an amazing husband, father, brother, uncle, cousin, grandfather, and friend. He poured his love into people around him. He was a gentle, kind and Godly man. He willingly prayed for anybody and lived his life to honor God. He knew no stranger. It did not take long for him to endear himself to somebody. He was an easy person to love and be around. He will be greatly missed.

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, July 6, at Crossroads Church in Raymond, Wash.

Arrangements are in care of Stoller’s Mortuary in Raymond, Washington. You may visit www.Stollers Mortuary.com to leave condolences for the family.