A master of concrete and steel,
Gus was the most generous with the commodity
he valued most: his time.
August Mart “Gus” Sestrap, father, husband and longtime construction executive for Turner Construction Company, died on August 6, 2024. He was 72.
Gus leaves a physical legacy of concrete and steel, a cultural legacy of mentorship and teaching in the commercial building industry and an emotional legacy of family ties and close friendships.
His concrete and steel legacy is just that: Iconic structures scattered throughout the West, erected by Gus in his 38 year career with Turner Construction. Have you ever watched a Seahawks home game or looked at Lumen Stadium from I-5 against the backdrop of Puget Sound? Shopped or done business in the 56 story Two Union Square building? Been treated or comforted friends or family at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center? Then you have experienced a small part of Gus’s legacy.
Sports stadiums, hospitals, skyscrapers, research facilities, data centers… Gus built them all, breaking records and pioneering construction techniques along the way.
Gus poured his knowledge and mastery into mentorship, teaching, and the art of networking in his field and others. “The company moves as fast as knowledge moves through the company” was a foundational principle in his professional and personal life. Always willing to share his time with anyone to assess their skills and prospects in his own or in their field, Gus helped hundreds of people launch, relaunch, or refine their careers.
Born in Seattle to Robert and Betsy Sestrap, Gus was raised at their farm Wax Orchards, a Vashon Island institution. He learned to weld and cut and bend rebar in the farm workshop, and started pouring concrete in the family construction business. He became an expert mechanic as well, repairing farm machinery and vehicles along the way. Rebuilding Mercedes sports cars became a lifelong passion.
After graduating from Vashon High School in 1969, Gus spent a couple of years attending Washington State University and University of Washington before embracing the Henry Ford (as well as Bill Gates) philosophy of hiring someone with a college degree if he had need of one. He left college and launched his own homebuilding and remodeling company, although his love of books and learning was a constant throughout his entire life.
Gus joined Turner Construction’s Seattle office in 1981. Then the steel rose and the concrete flowed for 38 years until he retired to his dream home/mini ranch in Cle Elum with his shop, bird life, dogs, elk and, most importantly, the love of his life, his wife Brenda, and her horses. Gus and Brenda raised their daughter Asta on Vashon and were married for 47 years.
For all his accomplishments, Gus was an eminently approachable man who never talked down to anyone. His wide tight smile, his uniquely expressive Estonian eyes and his delightful, abbreviated chortle will warm our memories as the grief of his passing is tempered by time.
Gus is survived by his wife Brenda, daughter Asta (Lars) Sternberg, and granddaughter Eva Lena, along with sisters Anna (Dave) Swain and Kathryn Sestrap, and many cousins, nieces and nephews, including his beloved August and Val.
A celebration of Gus’s life will be held on Saturday, December 7, at 2 p.m. at Camp Burton (9326 SW Bayview Dr, Vashon, WA). Memorial contributions may be made to your local animal shelter, humane society.org or bestfriends.org.
October 7, 1951 – August 6, 2024
