Michael Ward Bessey, 69, an East County resident, passed away at his home Monday, Dec. 2, 2019. He was born Feb. 1, 1950 in Bellflower, California, the son of Benjamin Ward and Virginia Fern (Hoskin) Bessey.

His family moved, father being in the military, to several locations. They would come to Hoquiam in the early 1960s and Michael would graduate from Hoquiam High School in 1968. He then served 16 years in the U.S. Navy. He was a postal carrier in the Shelton area from the late 1980s until he retired in 2017.

Michael enjoyed fishing, appreciated classic cars, classic rock music and traveling. He also loved reading Clive Cussler adventure novels, murder mysteries and movies.

He is survived by a son, Bryan Bessey, Elma; a daughter, Alyssa Bessey, Edgewood, Washington; two sisters, Patricia (Randy) Green, Paradise, California, and Diana (Ronald) Spicer, Bellingham, and his former wife, Elena D. Bessey, Bonney Lake, Washington.

At Michael’s request there will only be private family remembrances.

A card of condolence with a message or a memory may be sent to the family at www.fernhillfuneral.com

Arrangements are entrusted to Twibell’s Fern Hill Funeral Home, Aberdeen.