Debra Louise (née Johnson) Bellerud, 68, of Olympia, Washington, childhood resident of Hoquiam, passed away Nov. 3, 2020.
She was born in Everett, Washington on Sept. 9, 1952, to Taimi Mildred Johnson (née Raisanen) and Walter Everett Johnson. Debra attended Lincoln Elementary and Hoquiam Junior High School, graduating from Hoquiam High School in 1970. She also studied at Olympia Vocational Technical Institute after being awarded a scholarship which enabled her to gain employment with the Washington State Patrol. She worked for the State of Washington for 30 years, finishing as a Medical Claims Examiner for the Department of Social and Health Services before retiring in 2002.
She married Hal Bellerud in 1974 and had hoped to celebrate their Golden Anniversary together.
Debra was proud of her Finnish heritage but also became an active member of the Danish Brotherhood in America and a volunteer at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts, Harlequin Productions and Olympia Junior Programs for over 20 years. She had a passion for Seahawks football, watching birds and squirrels in her garden, tending her flowers, razor clam digging at Mocrocks Beach, and visiting zoos and wildlife parks. She kept an extensive spreadsheet for the birthdays of her extended family, classmates and friends, and was always the first to send them birthday well wishes.
She is survived by her husband Hal Bellerud and their children and families: Kathleen Wilson and her husband Steve Wilson II, and their children Natalie and Steven of Snohomish, Washington; Ginger Bellerud-Corthell and her husband Mathew Corthell of Hartland, Vermont; and Audrey Bellerud of Olympia. She is also survived by her sister Barbara Huffman and her husband Dennis Huffman of Aberdeen, Washington, and many beloved nieces, nephews, cousins, and their children and grandchildren.
Funeral services were held at 10 a.m., Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020, at Mills & Mills Funeral Home and Memorial Park in Tumwater, Washington. In lieu of flowers, the family asks for a donation in her name to a wildlife organization or charity of your choosing.
There is also an obituary for Debra on the Mills and Mills website.
