One of the last people to live at the Point Robinson lighthouse as a child has died.

Jensal “Jens” Olaf Pedersen Jr. died Feb. 22 at the age of 90. He lived at the Maury Island lighthouse for nearly a decade — from the age of 10 in 1936 to 1945, when he was drafted into the military — while his father, a civilian lighthouse keeper, worked as assistant keeper and then keeper. Pedersen’s father retired from the lighthouse in 1955, but Pedersen continued to live on Vashon, at his home he built in Burton, until his death.

In a “Vashon Then & Now” episode about Point Robinson, Petersen says he “thoroughly had the best childhood of any kid in the whole world.” He spoke of an experience as a child of being out in the Sound off the point and seeing orcas coming straight at him.

“The orcas coming down the line were coming right straight at me and it gave me quite a fright because I didn’t know … whether they would come underneath my boat and tip it over,” he said. “As they came by they came on both sides of my little boat and looked right at me and kept right on going.”

Pedersen’s stepdaughter, Dana Chrystall said he regularly talked about how his years at the lighthouse were the best times of his life.

“He had freedoms that few kids have these days,” she said, mentioning his boat that he would catch fish for dinner with.

She also talked about the “small footprint” he left on the world as he recycled everything into beautiful creations and was an impressive woodworker.

“He should’ve been an engineer, and he was in his own right,” she said. “He’s been my best friend and my dad for a long time.”

She said the home he built in Burton is a testament to that woodworking and engineering ability.

“It’s got an incredible view of Quartermaster Harbor. It’s just awesome, big huge windows. He did that all himself and kept it up. He was out mowing the lawn a year ago, and now he is not,” she recalled.

She said he was incredibly active and would fly in his friend Bob’s airplane, swim with friends and mow the lawn.

“He was still having the time of his life,” she said.

He celebrated his 90th birthday in his childhood home at the lighthouse in September, and regaled friends and family gathered with more stories from his childhood. He also talked about attending Vashon High School, being drafted into the military partway through his senior year, returning to the island to receive his diploma and working for the Washington State Ferries.

He is remembered as a “lovely man” by the Keepers of Point Robinson’s Captain Joe Wubbold.

“Jens and I had a special relationship,” Wubbold said. “I would introduce him to the people taking the tour, and he would tell stories of what it was like to live as a child on a light station. Jens, you were such a gracious man, generous of spirit.”

Pedersen requested to not have a memorial or funeral. There may be a gathering at Point Robinson, but details are pending the family’s wishes.