Dewey Alan Knowles, age 94, passed on from this life to the next on Sunday, July 27, 2025, in Richland, Washington.

Dewey was born October 17, 1930, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the first of three children born to L. Ruth Dewey and Harold E. Knowles. He had a sister, Alicia Knowles Merryman and a brother, Dale Knowles.

When he was 9 years old, Dewey’s family moved to Seattle, where he attended school. He graduated from Lincoln High School in 1948. Shortly after, his family moved to Vashon Island. In 1950, Dewey joined the Coast Guard. He served for 3 years. After the Coast Guard, Dewey attended the University of Washington and then Baker University in Baldwin, Kansas. It was here he met the love of his life, Neola Gulick. A few weeks after he graduated from Baker, the two were married on June 25, 1956. Dewey went on to get his Master of Divinity degree at Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California in 1961.

Dewey became a Methodist minister and preached in California, Illinois, and Washington, including Benton City near Richland. Between 1961 and 1966, he and Neola had four children: Elizabeth, Robert, Katherine, and Susan. In 1968, Dewey brought his young family to Vashon Island, where they were able to live in the house his father had built. Dewey took a job at Shorey’s Bookstore in Seattle, where he was able to indulge his love of books. He filled his house with books and instilled in his family a love of reading and knowledge. Throughout his 27 years on Vashon, he was active in the Vashon Methodist Church as a lay minister and participated in the church choir with his mother as the organist. He also sang with community choirs and had the opportunity to be a guest tenor soloist for some concerts. He shared his talent and love of music with his children and grandchildren.

In 1989, Dewey unexpectedly lost his wife Neola of 32 years due to a brain aneurysm. In an effort to keep himself busy, he decided to participate in several of Vashon Drama Dock’s musical productions, including “Guys and Dolls,” “The Music Man,” and “Mikado.” He really enjoyed sharing this new talent and meeting new people.

In 1995, at the invitation of his daughter, Katherine, Dewey retired from Shorey’s bookstore and moved to Boise, Idaho to be closer to his grandchildren. He got a job at the PowerBar Factory, where he worked until his retirement in 2010 at the age of 80. During his time in Boise, he was active in the Whitney Methodist Church as a lay minister and member of the church choir. He also joined the community choir, The Boise Master Chorale. Through the years, he was able to enjoy his grandchildren’s many concerts and sporting events. He also took several road trips to Seattle to visit Rob and Susan and to Richland to see his daughter Elizabeth and her children in their activities.

He lived in Boise for 27 years. In 2022, Dewey had the opportunity to move to Richland. He became active in Central Church, singing with the choir, and participating in committees and activities. He remained active in the Northwest Conference of the United Methodist Church. While in Richland, he enjoyed many concerts with his daughter, Elizabeth. Dewey lived independently until his hospitalization in June.

Dewey is survived by his children: Elizabeth Erickson (Tim) of Richland, Robert Knowles (Kristi) of Bothell, Katherine Taylor (Frank) of Ocean Shores, and Susan Coppinger (Jeff) of Brier. He is also survived by his brother Dale (Donna) of Vashon, sister-in-law Dee Stout (Richard) of Tulsa, OK, 12 grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

Dewey had an amazing way with words and had a great memory for detail. He spent his whole life in pursuit of knowledge and how to be a better person and a better disciple of Jesus Christ. He had a story for everything and was more than willing to share with anyone who would listen. He will be sorely missed by family and friends. Burial will be Saturday, August 2, 2025, in the Vashon Island Cemetery at 3:00 pm. A memorial service will be held Saturday, August 9, 2025, at Central Church in Richland, Washington at 2:00 pm