Many years passed before circumstances provided me
the opportunity to write about the island.

Mary, adopted at three months old, grew up on the Decatur Island farm her grandfather established in 1908, attending school there in the one-room school house. After finishing eighth grade she transferred to Bellingham, following the path of other island children who had to complete their education on the mainland. She returned home during the summer to live on the island where she enjoyed riding her horse, Duchess.

Mary VanValkenburg enjoys writing about the lives of the early settlers in the San Juan Islands and is a contributor to Sea Chest magazine. A high point in her life has been collaborating on the history of Decatur Island with her youngest daughter, Gail Dupar. Mary is working on her next book, a memoir of her own coming-of-age experiences while growing up in the islands. She is a member of the Washington State Historical Society and the Puget Sound Maritime Historical Society. She never strayed far from the sea and lives by the beach with a view of the shipping lanes from her writing desk.

Gail Dupar is an artist and designer who currently divides her time between her home in Anacortes and what is left of the family farm on Decatur Island. It is there that she met her husband, Mark, who is a custom home builder. Together they blissfully salvaged the time-worn property, made a living for themselves, and raised their children, who attended classes in the one-room school house. Before moving to the island Gail attended Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle where she studied and worked in graphic design. Her move to a rural community and exposure to the building industry then inspired a transition to become a fine artist and full-time interior designer.

I could not have finished this book without the help
of my youngest daughter, Gail, who has gifted me again and again
with her artistic ability and keen judgment.