Floren Van de Putte Obituary (1930 - 2021)

Florent aka "Sonny" / "Van" Van de Putte died January 12, 2021 in Swedish First Hill Hospital after a long battle with congestive heart disease. Born in Seattle on February 8, 1930, the only child of Florent and Ruth Van de Putte, he spent his childhood being raised by his mother in the Greenlake neighborhood of Seattle. He attended Lincoln high school. He graduated from Seattle University with a B.A. in business administration. While attending Seattle U. he met and married his wife of 65 years, Mildred "Mickey" Evelyn Codorniz. He joined the ROTC in college and served two years in active duty as a Lieutenant on the USA Stark County while stationed with his wife and loyal Boxer dog Pele in Honolulu Hawaii. After active duty, he continued to serve in the naval reserves and returned to the mainland to work as an auditor for the Carnation milk company . In the early '60s he transferred to Southern California. He later joined Blue Shield and moved the family to the Bay Area in Northern California. In 1974 he returned to Seattle and was employed as an auditor by King County before retiring in 1993. He was passionate about outdoor activities and loved golfing, skiing, hiking, sailing and walking his beloved Boxers on Magnolia Boulevard. His passion for caring for his children and family motivated him to take on challenges many parents avoid. He consistently volunteered as a coach and mentor in his son's chosen activities of interest, at one point climbing to the 14,505 summit of Mount Whitney with his son Scott and more than a dozen of his preteen peers in tow and returning the group safely to their homes and families. He is survived by his wife, Mickey; sons' Brett and Scott; and grandchildren Steven, Samantha, Jennifer and Nichole.