Fern Leopold, teacher, librarian, musician, nature, and pet lover was born June 12, 1921, in Alameda, CA the daughter of Clara J. and Peter P. Leopold. Moving to Seattle as a youngster, she graduated from Garfield High School.

She loved growing up in Seattle with her beloved younger brother Joe, and together they spent countless hours enjoying the great outdoor recreation of the Pacific Northwest, including hiking and skiing. Fern also played tennis at the many courts near Lake Washington, and bicycling around the Arboretum and the Lake Washington boulevards. Once, on a single speed bike, she and some friends cycled over a hundred miles of sometimes graveled roads on the Olympic Peninsula in one day, earning a membership in a "century club".

Fern studied violin from her early childhood in both Seattle and later in New York City. There, she played in the National Orchestra and was a member of the Musicians' Union (the famous "Local 802") and assisted at her teacher's studio.

On her return to Seattle, Fern worked full time at Boeing while studying at UW where she earned a B.A. in English and graduated from the University of Washington Magna Cum Laude. She was inducted into the music and education honoraries, as well as Phi Beta Kappa. Later, she earned her Masters in Librarianship.

At Sedro Woolley High School, she taught English and briefly led the orchestra. Later, she became the librarian for both the high school and the district and selected the initial collection for Cascade Middle School. Sixty years later, she still remembered her students and delighted in them.

Fern was invited to become librarian at Skagit Valley College where she accomplished its growth from a small Quonset hut-with virtually a non-existent collection, services, and staff- to its present location, strength, and reputation for its outstanding collection.

A visionary, Fern requested two million dollars for a new library at the Whidbey campus twenty years before it became a reality at only a slightly greater figure. She also left the library for three years to teach in the Language and Literature department at Skagit where her students gave her great pleasure.

Fern passed away December 24, 2021, at the age of 100. She is survived by nephew Mark (Peggy) Leopold and great nephews Matthew and David, and great nieces Sarah, Nicole, and Emily; and nephew Scott Leopold, and cousins and friends.

At her request, there be neither a funeral nor a memorial service. She will be buried at Bayview Cemetery. If you wish to remember Fern with a donation, The Humane Society and Skagit Valley Orchestra were both important to her.

Please visit www.hulbushfuneralhome.com to share your thoughts and memories and sign the online guest register.

Arrangements are under the care of Hulbush Funeral Home, Burlington, WA.