We welcomed multiple new members to our church recently. The May & June newsletter will both feature bios from our new members so our community can read and welcome these wonderful people to our community at WUUC.
Denise and Kip Wyatt, Zachary Frazer
Kip and Denise moved here from Baltimore a little more than 11 years ago, and their nephew, Zachary, joined us about 2 years ago from Wisconsin. Denise has been a practicing UU since her early 20s, and Kip, the son and grandson of Methodist ministers, began to attend the First Unitarian Church of Baltimore with Denise when they started dating. Zachary was asked to check out the WUUC on our first visit and then decide from there, and well, he has a round badge! Kip is a master finishing carpenter who currently works at Emerald’s Heights as a project manager and Denise has been practicing labor relations for more years than she wants to admit, and is currently the Employee and Labor Relations Manager at Community Transit. Zachary is in search of what his next steps look like, work or school.
Denise and Kip enjoy camping with thier 1962 Scotty Serro and trying out new cast iron recipes, while enjoying the great outdoors and new sights. They have recently purchased a used sailboat and updated their kayaks so we’re hoping this is the year of water! In spare time Kip likes to play guitar and make stuff, while Denise is gardening, quilting, or crocheting. Zachary is the resident gamer. And their house is filled with furry love – with two blue heelers.
Susie Smyth
Susie was raised in Southern California. She became interested in occupational therapy in eighth grade when she took an aptitude test suggesting OT. Susie specialized in the early intervention program with high risk infants and toddlers from birth to three, seeing the children within their homes within her private practice. When Susie’s son, Scott, and daughter, Alexi graduated from high school, Susie’s and her husband Jack were free to move away from the busy So Cal area to Humboldt County in northern California, where she continued in the Early Intervention Program. Many years after Jack’s death Susie met and married Ray Tucker and returned to southern California. When Ray retired, they moved to Corvallis,OR. Following his death, Susie’s children wanted her to be closer to them, so she moved to western WA last fall. Her claim to fame: the summer Susie graduated from high school, she was Mickey Mouse at Disneyland!
Anne and Wayne Pair
Anne Pair grew up in central California nourished by her congregational church’s youth group and handbell choir, before moving to Ohio and then the east coast for school and to start her career in education. When she moved to Washington state in 1995, she joined the handbell choir at the university Congregational church, but exchanged her bells for drums when she married Wayne in 2002. Anne retired from her job as a school psychologist in 2023, to devote more time to her daughters, Charlotte and Lucy, creative writing, music, writing get out the vote postcards and gardening. In 2024, chagrined at the result of the presidential election, Anne and Wayne attended a service at WUUC, where Anne’s writing and Wordle buddy, Pamela Denchfield attends. The service was both calming and restorative, and she and Wayne have been attending ever since.
Wayne Pair was born in Atlanta, GA and grew up in Houston, TX. He studied Computer Science at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, TX. Right after college in 1987, Wayne moved to the Seattle area to escape the heat and see some real mountains. In 2002 Wayne married Anne and they have two daughters who light up their life everyday, Charlotte(20) and Lucy(16). Wayne retired from a career in the IT industry in 2015, and used his newfound time to get more deeply involved in music. Wayne enjoys composing music and playing both piano and upright bass. Wayne and Anne attended their first service at WUUC just after the 2024 election and have really enjoyed the like-minded and welcoming congregation.
Erin and Tristan Tidwell
Erin is a Puget Sound native. Her household includes her two kids, Aurie (pronounced: arr-ee) (19) and Tristan (15), three cats, and a tortoise. She has bachelor’s degrees in history and East Asian studies, and masters degrees in international studies and Teaching. She works as a lead technical writer and content designer for a software company. Outside of work, Erin writes fiction and spends a copious amount of time volunteering with Snohomish County 4-H’s technology program.
Tristan is a freshman at Innovation Lab High School in Bothell. He’s active on his school eSports team and in his 4-H robotics team. He also shows his cat in 4-H. He’s into Pokemon, Star Trek, and DnD
Laura Hume
Laura moved to Washington from Texas in August to be close to her kids — a Freshman at University of WA and a Junior at Western Washington. She has been a consultant in the Talent space for over 30 years, and she just started a new job with Kyndryl (a big tech firm that was a spin-off of IBM.)
When she isn’t helping employees become rockstars at their jobs, she is likely buying furniture for her new unfurnished rental in North Redmond or walking her two mini-bernedoodles while listening to trashy books on Audible.
