PAWS lost a dear friend this past year when Florence Coleville passed away in Gig Harbor.

Florence and her husband Casey were on the PAWS board of directors from 1970 to 1988. During their two decades with PAWS, Florence and Casey worked hard to enrich the lives of Seattle-area companion animals through their operation of a Lake City thrift store, and through their commitment to the promotion of spaying and neutering.

Florence and Casey joined PAWS in 1970 after Casey’s retirement. Along with Florence’s sister Mary and their mother Gertrude, Florence and Casey began holding attic sales at the Masonic Temple on Lake City Way. Later they opened the PAWS Rags to Riches thrift store in the Roosevelt neighborhood.

Florence and Casey seldom missed a board meeting. At the thrift store, Florence worked hard to educate a wary public about the necessity of spaying and neutering companion animals by handing out hundreds of PAWS brochures and other literature.

In 1988 Florence and Casey moved to a retirement community in Gig Harbor. Florence is survived by her husband, Casey, and their daughter and grandson.