John Lee Thatcher

John Lee Thatcher, 83 and Dorothy Loveada (Punkie) Watson Thatcher, 76 who were soul mates all of their lives, have recently been reunited. John passed away in May 2016, and Loveada in October 2016. They were married for 57 years and had three children; William (Bill) Thatcher (Wife-Kathy), Phrania Santos and Tina Rice (husband-Allen). They were also proud grandparents of four grandchildren, Jessica Thatcher, Cory Santos, Daniel Thatcher and Erin Rice. When John met Loveada, he told her he would take care of her, and that is exactly what he did. They had a love and bond for each other that was true and very rare. Loveada was born in Grants Pass, Oregon. She was a wonderful loving daughter, sister, wife, mother, cousin and friend. She was the fourth of five children; Mack, Pat, Don and Scott. Preceded in death by her parents, Alex and Dorothy Watson. Prior to retirement, Loveada was a Medical Central Supply Technician at St. Josephs hospital and an Accounts Receivable Bookkeeper at Lilyblad Petroleum Company. She was also a full-time wife and mom. She loved to collect rocks and paint them. Other favorites were traveling, reading and socializing with friends and relatives. John was born in Yakima, WA. He is the youngest of 6 children who have all preceded him in death. Alfred, Grace, Edna, Milton, and Florence, along with his parents, Walker and Delilah Thatcher. He always went out of his way to help family and friends. He was a role model inspiring people who in turn enjoyed being around him. He was a kind and wise man who always had a story to tell. He was a very creative man who by trade was a Journeyman Carpenter and Jack of all trades. There wasnt a job too big or too small that he could not handle. He was also a Veteran, avid rock hunter, traveler, played the guitar for fun, and built amazing Classic Tall Ship Models which he spent thousands of hours building. One ship even had the directions in French, but he Got her done (as he would have said). As a team, they built a real life-like town out of cardboard resembling an old-time western town. For seven years they would assemble this town on their Puyallup property and host an annual Labor Day event for all their family and friends. This was their version of a family reunion consisting of BBQs, costume dress-up, music, games, prizes and plenty of fun. It truly was an annual event everyone looked forward to attending each year. Bringing everyone together again brought a lot of joy to the two. They both will be greatly missed and remembered by all the folks whose lives they touched. In lieu of flowers, please send cards, letters and jokes any of the family members.