Gizel Berman, 82, was a Nazi death camp survivor who came to the U.S. after the war with her husband, another camp survivor. Settling in Seattle in 1948, she became a locally prominent sculptor. Her best-known work is a 1981 memorial sculpture to the Holocaust at the Greater Seattle Jewish Community Center on Mercer Island. In keeping with Mercer Island's traditional privacy aesthetic, the 12-foot sculpture (bearing a stylized image of the Hebrew lettering for "Lo Tishkach," or "Never Forget") is hidden away in a courtyard inside the center's property. (Another of her pieces can be readily seen by the public, at the City of Mercer Island's I-90 Sculpture Park.) In 1999 she wrote a memoir entitled My Three Lives: A Story of Love, War, and Survival. (The title refers to Berman's experiences before, during, and after WWII.) In the book Berman writes, "One night, I had a flash of inspiration. I could distract myself from the horrors of the concentration camp by boosting the morale of the others. From then on, I was the Mad Clown of the barracks. I would mimic the guards, and joke about the German officers' fat wives. Nothing was too outrageous or ridiculous if it brought a few moments of laughter. I knew I was taking my life in my hands, but it didn't matter." The entire text of her book is available online at www.mythreelives.com. Berman died on February 25 of unspecified causes.

Diane M. Jahns, 34, was an Issaquah native who was an Honor Society member and drill-team leader in high school. She participated in such sports as soccer, softball, and skydiving. After college she worked at the Veterans Administration hospital in Seattle, receiving an outstanding-employee award along the way. But from the age of 13, Jahns struggled with anorexia and bulimia, attending various treatment centers around the country, trying to overcome her condition. She eventually moved to Mesa, Arizona, where she died on February 24 from heart failure. Her family suggests remembrances be made to www.nationaleatingdisorders.org.

Harold L. "Hal" Willard, 81, worked as a staff announcer at KIRO-TV for 27 years. As the unseen "Mr. Announcer Man" character on KIRO's legendary J. P. Patches kiddie show, Willard's stoic, dulcet tones provided a perfect counterpoint for J. P.'s high jinks. Willard died February 21 from cancer.

Sal Mustachio, 74, had a 40-year career in commercial and newspaper advertising at The Everett Herald and other papers, and was also the first head of Rotary Offset Press in Tukwila, which has printed thousands of small-circulation papers over the years (including early issues of The Stranger). Mustachio died January 24 of complications from ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease).