Annette Brigham, 81, died peacefully on her houseboat, surrounded by her daughters and son-in-law, on August 10, 2011. Survivors include brother Georges Brigham, cousin Françoise Rice, daughters Felicia Dale and Adrienne Robineau. Annette was born on January 20, 1930 in Paris, France, and came to the U.S. in 1940. She graduated from Smith College in 1951 and moved to Seattle in 1952. In 1956, she married Edwin Larwil (Larry) Dale in Seattle. They moved to Vashon Island in 1959 and lived in several rentals, including the Dale family cabin at Dilworth Point. In 1964, they purchased the house next door, a remodeled 1926 cabin.

 While on Vashon, Annette began organic gardening, composting and recycling, long before those were common practices. An accomplished cook, she threw large parties and was renowned for her baguettes, mousse au chocolat and unique vinaigrette salad dressing. For those reasons, and others, her home was the preferred meeting place for the Vashon Unitarian Fellowship for many years. She dabbled in real estate, and later owned and operated a carpet-cleaning business. In the early 1980s, she worked for Keith Crovisier & Associates in West Seattle. Later, she joined URS Corp., working as a CAD draftsperson for more than 20 years. She retired in 2010 due to illness.

 Annette and Larry were active members of the Quartermaster Yacht Club. The family sailed extensively around Puget Sound, the Gulf Islands and Desolation Sound. Annette was a longtime supporter of Youth Services and president of the Dilworth Water System for several years. The couple divorced in 1982, and Annette moved to Seattle in 1987. Two years later, she purchased her houseboat on Lake Union.

 Annette was an accomplished international kayaker and a member of the Mountaineers. In 2000, she was the oldest person to complete a very challenging kayak trip north of the Arctic Circle off the coast of Norway. She completed the “Everest” of kayaking by paddling around the northern tip of Vancouver Island. She also kayaked the southern tip of Chile and in the Galapagos, Baja, Iceland, Alaska, Queen Charlotte Islands (Haida Gwaii), British Columbia, the San Juans and Puget Sound. After being diagnosed with cancer, Annette joined the Team Survivor Northwest Dragon Boat, paddling and racing with team Survivor Sake, an all-women cancer-survivor team. Private services.

Remembrances are suggested to Pasado’s Safe Haven. www.AnnetteBrigham.com 

Paid Obituary.