Wendell P. Hurlbut III

Wendell P. Hurlbut III, 84 passed away from complications of Lewy Body Dementia on June 22, 2016.

Wendell was born on January 8, 1932 in Seattle to parents Grace Kettenring Hurlbut and Wendell Phillips Hurlbut Jr. Wendell was the retired chairman of the board for Seattle based Esterline Technologies and the former commander of the Whidbey Island Navy Squadron, VP-69.

Wendell was preceded in death by his beloved wife of over 50 years, Carrilou Ward Hurlbut. He is survived by: his sister Elizabeth Lohr, his children Wendi Schield, Kyle Hurlbut and wife Lisa, Clark Hurlbut and his wife Karen, 7 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.

Wendell grew up in West Seattle where his childhood was dominated by the backdrop of World War II. He grew up in a home overlooking Puget Sound and Bremerton. At the outbreak of the war the commanding view made the location an ideal place for an antiaircraft battery to protect Boeing Field from possible enemy air raids. Wendell’s house was inside of the army base and he was the little brother to the servicemen stationed there. His summers included going to Camp Orkila and jerry rigging boats to explore islands off Seattle.

Wendell enrolled in the University of Washington and was awarded an ROTC scholarship. At the university he joined the Beta Theta Pi fraternity and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Ceramic Engineering. On June 13, 1953 Wendell graduated from the U of W, received his commission as a naval aviator and married his wife Carrilou Ward.

Upon graduation Wendell began flying P2V antisubmarine patrol planes in Alaska. He elected to continue his naval career as a reservist and eventually became a captain and was the founding commanding officer of the VP-69 Squadron.

After his active duty in the Navy, Wendell went to work for Boeing Aircraft on the Minuteman missile program and was ultimately promoted to commercial airplane sales. His talent did not go unnoticed and he was hired by Heath Tecna, which became a division of Criton Technologies. Criton Technologies eventually became Esterline Technologies. Wendell retired from Esterline after years of being CEO and chairman of the board.

Wendell will be remembered for his contributions to the business and military world but his family will remember him as their father and role model. His top priority was always his family. Carrilou and Wendell moved to Mercer Island in 1958, were founding members of Mercer Island Presbyterian Church and original members of Mercerwood Shore Club. His love of boating never left him as his summers always included a family vacation on their sailboat named after his wife Carrilou.

In lieu of flowers please donate to the Lewy Body Dementia Association http://www.lbda.org/donate.