Norman Paul Culbert

Norman Paul Culbert, of Anacortes, Washington, passed away March 29, 2023, at age 75.

Norm was born on February 11, 1948 in Spokane, Washington. The son of Don and Theresia Culbert and brother of Laurette and Brigitte. Norm loved his childhood in Spokane, evident in the life-long friendships he maintained from first grade and beyond, as well as the frequent stories of mischief he loved to share on repeat. Precious memories include sailing on the Groote Beer to his mother’s homeland in Germany with his Mom and sister Laurette in 1955, time spent at the family cabin at Priest Lake, his paper route which earned him a trip to Disneyland, playing trumpet in the Shadle Park HS (Class of ’66) marching band, riding bikes to Coeur d’Alene, exploring the Bowl and Pitcher on the Spokane River, sneaking into Cougar football games at Joe Albi Stadium, shooting pistols with his dad, and grabbing the golden ring on the Looff Carrousel.

Although Norm always dreamed of going to Washington State University, he instead made the difficult choice to stay home while he worked on the railroad as a switchman and attended Eastern Washington University, in Cheney Washington. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Business.

After college Norm sold his prized Gibson Dove guitar, to garner enough money to head off to Europe with his longtime friend, Greg Babin. Norm and Greg spent 6 weeks traveling, including stops to visit his extended family in Steinebach, Germany.

In 1971, Norm left for the United States Marine Corps, when he was commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant after Officer Candidate School in Quantico, VA. He attended Naval Flight School, in Pensacola, FL where he fulfilled his dream of becoming a pilot and earning his wings of gold. He became a helicopter pilot flying the CH-46 Sea Knights with the HMM 163 Ridge Runners “Evil Eyes”. His passion for flying and historical aircraft continued throughout his life.

During his first week in Pensacola, he stopped at the Buggy Works Chevrolet where he purchased his 1972 Sunflower Yellow Stingray Corvette. One of his pride and joys, he recently celebrated his 50 years of single ownership.

In 1973, Norm married Patricia Enderson, of Pensacola. For the first duty station, Norm and Patricia moved to Santa Ana, California where he was stationed at MCAS Tustin. They continued their friendship with Ron Coley, who was Norm’s roommate in flight school, (also stationed in southern California). In 1975, they had their first daughter, Tanya and asked Ron to be her godfather. Norm finished the remaining years of his military service as a reservist at Whidbey NAS.

Norm and Patricia moved to the Seattle area in 1978 where he began his 40+ year career as a construction lender at various banks throughout the region. Key milestones include starting his career at Seafirst Bank, rising through the ranks to Senior Vice President at Pacific First, and ending his successful career at Washington Federal in 2015. He took pride in his customer relationships, and many went on to become lifelong friends. He was known for his outgoing personality; you could always count on Norm to pull you away during the day to a social event or an extra-long lunch. He became known as the banker who cared and was also a mentor to many who have gone on to also have successful careers.

In 1983, Norm’s second daughter, Jennifer, his “Pumpkin” was born. Norm and Patricia raised their two daughters in the Woodinville/Redmond area. Norm followed in his family’s footsteps and passed down a love of boating, which started at the family cabin on Wörthsee Lake in Steinbach Germany, through years of family trips to the San Juan Islands. After owning a yellow SeaRay (to match his yellow Corvette), he purchased his beloved 1984 37’ Tollycraft, the “Four C’s”. Starting with group trips to Port Ludlow, Norm was part of the group of Tollycraft owners who founded what is now the Tollycraft Boating Club. In 2006 he was the club’s Commodore, where he led the annual Roche Harbor Rendezvous with a 1960’s music theme. It was a hit that people still talk about almost 20 years later, as one of their favorites.

Norm eventually fulfilled a lifelong dream, retiring in Anacortes, WA. The islands, slow pace, no traffic, ferries, and being close to his boat and a view of the mountains all in one location made him happy. He loved his favorite locations in town – Penguin Coffee, Corvette Alley, and Gere-a-Deli. He could never resist a drive down to the shipyards to see what Dakota Creek was up to or what was being worked on in the dry dock. He loved walking the path around Washington Park or down the Guemes Channel trail.

Norm valued his time with his friends and family above all else. Norm and his sister Laurette grew their relationship through life events supporting their mom, multiple moves, hobbies, and memories in Anacortes. He welcomed his new son-in-law, Garret and “buddy” when he married-off Jen in 2011. Norm loved being “Papa” to his grandsons, Brecken (8) and Lincoln (5) who he was so proud of. He enjoyed his trips out around the country to visit Tanya and tour historical and military sites together. He and the “little yellow car” made trips with his good friends (Worthy’s, Seeley’s and Jorgenson’s) with the other “plastic cars” to places around the Pacific Northwest. He marked off one of his two bucket list trips, when he took the “Four C’s” and Mali, his beloved goldendoodle, on a 9-week trip up to Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska. He looked forward to his regular luncheons with “the guys” from his childhood at Joey’s. 60+ years of friendship with guys, like Greg Danielson, Mike Miller, Rick McGuire, and others, meant the world to him. In 2021, he purchased his dream motorhome in preparation for his second bucket list trip, RVing around the lower 48 states to visit National Parks and Lighthouses of the US. He and Mali started their RV adventures by sharing local trips with Jen’s family and their RV. They then went on a 6-week trip last spring, which included visiting friends in places like Pullman, Walla Walla, Spokane, Coeur D’Alene, and other nearby states.

Norm was preceded in death by his parents, Don and Theresia Culbert, and his sister Brigette Lankford. He leaves behind his friend and ex-wife, Patricia; sister Laurette Culbert of Seattle, WA; daughter Tanya Culbert of Alexandria, VA; daughter Jennifer Magin (Garret Magin) of Redmond, WA; two adored grandsons, Brecken and Lincoln, many lifelong friends, and his one true love his mini goldendoodle Mali who was named after one of his favorite locations, Camp Malibu in the Princess Louisa Inlet, Canada.

Services are scheduled to be held on Monday, April 17th at New Community Church in Maple Valley, WA. Followed by military honors and commitment ceremony at Tahoma National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations to the Prostate Cancer Foundation in Norm’s honor. https://join.pcf.org/memorials/memorial/in-memory-of-norm-culbert