Obituary of Myra Vanderpool Gormley

Myra D. “De” Vanderpool Gormley died Friday, June 26, 2020 in University Place, Washington. Born in Muskogee, Oklahoma in 1940, she was the daughter of John O. Vanderpool and Doris J. (Fricks) Vanderpool.

A resident of University Place since 1977, she came to Seattle in 1965 and lived in the Puget Sound area ever since. She worked for the European Edition of Stars & Stripes, the Seattle Times, Tacoma News Tribune, and the Los Angeles Times Syndicate. She wrote for Colonial Homes and Ancestry magazines and was the author of several nonfiction books on computer software, local histories, and genealogical research topics. For many years, she was the editor of the international RootsWeb Review, an early Internet newsletter. She also taught memoir-writing classes. She was a member of the First Christian Church in Tacoma, the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Colonial Swedes, the Germanna Second Colony, and the Dutch Settlers Society.

Survivors include husband Leo C. Gormley, of University Place, Washington; brother, James H. Vanderpool, of Winthrop, Washington; two nephews, John G. Vanderpool of Bremerton, Washington and John M. Grant, of California, two stepchildren, Rick Gormley, of Naperville, Illinois, and Kyle Nelson, of Juneau, Alaska, and six grandnieces and nephews.

Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, a memorial service will be scheduled when safe. In lieu of flowers, donations to local Food Banks and the Red Cross are requested.