John Dankers

John Dankers, 83, passed away on Saturday, November 26, following a year-long battle with bladder cancer.

John is a native Washingtonian born in Kittitas County. He lived in eastern Washington until his family moved to Kitsap County in the 1940s. John graduated from Central Kitsap High School in 1957 and then enrolled at Olympic College in Bremerton. The first in his family to go to college, he continued his education at the University of Washington in Seattle and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering in 1961.

John’s career spanned more than 30 years as a federal government employee and engineer based initially in Port Hueneme, California, subsequently at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, and later at Naval Base Bangor. John, and his late wife, Bonnie, settled with their two children, Todd and Lorie, in the Kingston/Eglon area in 1970.

A long-time volunteer with North Kitsap Fire & Rescue, John most recently served as a tender driver based out of Station 81 in Kingston. He started his volunteer service in 1971 in Eglon with Fire District 14.

In his retirement, John was a devoted caregiver for his wife, Bonnie, for several years until her death in 2015. John was also a member of the Olympic Vintage Auto Club, where he pursued his interest in restoring, repairing and tinkering with antique automobiles. John participated weekly in a local hiking club based in Kitsap County and thoroughly enjoyed exploring trails on the Olympic Peninsula and hiking to scenic lookouts. He also enjoyed traveling, having visited 49 states during his lifetime. His greatest joy was spending time with members of his immediate and extended family.

John was preceded in death by his parents, John and Velma Dankers, and his wife of 52 years, Bonnie (Sheka) Dankers. John is survived by his son Todd, his wife Tamara Dankers and their three children Nathan, Riley and Mackenzie, of Arvada, Colorado; his daughter, Lorie Dankers, and her husband Jeff Johnson, of Bellevue, Washington, and their daughter Bridget Johnson, of Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

A service and reception to honor John’s life will be held on Saturday, Dec. 17 at 10:30 a.m. at the Village Green Community Center, 26159 Dulay Road NE in Kingston.

In John’s memory, gifts may be made to ShareNet, a non-profit that provides food and other assistance to local residents in need in the north Kitsap County area and/or to the North Kitsap Fire & Rescue Community Partnership Fund, which is managed by a committee of NKF&R department members. This fund provides financial support to community members in need of emergency assistance.

• ShareNet
P.O. Box 479, Kingston, WA 98346
( https://www.sharenetfoodbank.org/donate/ )

• NK Community Partnership Fund
c/o North Kitsap Fire & Rescue, 26642 Miller Bay Road NE, Kingston, WA 98346

The Dankers family would like to extend a special thanks to the entire staff at Liberty Shores in Poulsbo for the exceptional care they provided John during his illness. They would also like to thank the many friends and family members who visited and kept in touch with John over the past several months. The encouragement, kindness and support you provided were invaluable to him and our family during this journey.