The Kosec Funeral Home and Crematory in Port Townsend is under new management but its new owners remain native to the Olympic Peninsula.

Married funeral directors David and Samantha Bradley have each accumulated close to a decade’s worth of experience in the industry, with training and service stints in Port Angeles and Bremerton. They met and learned at least part of their trade at the Miller-Woodlawn Funeral Home and Memorial Park but they left western Washington for Walla Walla in 2020.

Although David’s job returned him to Port Townsend in 2017, he and Samantha were looking to purchase a funeral home in Walla Walla. That process to took longer than they expected.

The Kosec Funeral Home (opened as the Owyen Funeral Home in 1963 before being purchased by the Kosec family in 1979, and then by another owner in 1999) was looking for new management of its own.

The Bradleys were given a chance to return to the Olympic Peninsula by purchasing Kosec instead of the funeral home they’d been pursuing in Walla Walla.

“We jumped at the chance,” David told The Leader, “I love the Olympic Peninsula. It’s a great place to live and raise a family.”

“We loved the idea of coming back to where David was raised, getting closer to the family and raising our own family here,” Samantha added.

David graduated from Chimacum High School in 2007, and had long since aspired to own Kosec, but Robles had never been interested in retiring, until recently.

Both of the Bradleys emphasized that they take their roles as funeral directors extremely seriously.

“When people trust you to take care of their loved ones, it’s an honor,” David said, “I never rush the family. We move at their pace, walking hand-in-hand with them to honor the lives of their loved ones.”

“Not everyone is cut out to be a funeral director,” Samantha said. “Everyone who’s dealing with death has a different story, and a different situation. Death is very hard for most survivors to deal with, and I want to make it less difficult for them.”

The Bradleys agreed that it’s essential to provide options to their clients on how they might choose to honor and take care of their loved ones, while also offering enough guidance to make the process as effortless as possible.

“I believe in being transparent, open and honest about what’s taking place with people’s loved ones,” David said. “I have never been the type of funeral director who dictates to families what they have to do.”

“We are here to help families,” Samantha said. “Enabling families to celebrate their loved ones is as important to us as it is to them.”

The Bradleys feel fortunate to acquire a funeral home with “a great reputation” like Kosec, which they feel duty-bound to uphold, especially in the community where they’ll be raising their children. So while they are planning some minor updates to the establishment’s services, they certainly don’t intend to change anything major.

“We’re looking forward to continuing to work in the community, building relationships with Jefferson County residents, and continuing the legacy and service of the Kosec Funeral Home,” David said, adding that they will of course honor all pre-planned arrangements made prior to their ownership.

BUNKER brings a world of art to teens

By Thais Oliveira

thais@ptleader.com

Look out for a radio novella on a dragon finding an exquisite never-seen species, breaking news of a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle spotted in the woods around Fort Worden, exciting music, a new method to eat and digest a chair, magical ads and more. It’s Fire in the Hole, a 30-minute radio show created in two hours by the students at BUNKER, a biweekly art space for teens, and scheduled to air on KPTZ soon.

Born in 2018 out of a partnership between Northwind Arts School (former PT School of the Arts) and PT Artscape, BUNKER has been bringing the world of art to middle and high school kids in a free open studio format. Every other Friday from 4 - 6 at Northwind Art School campus at Fort Worden, a rotating cast of professional artists brings different themes and techniques to students eager to create. Julie Read, a painter, educator and volunteer coordinator, recruits and curates the artists in a passionate way.

“We want to connect creative people together, to be friends and mentors. And to give young people a group to fit into and people to collaborate with. This is a club for art and for expressing yourself without judgment. It’s a way for adults with special skills to pass them on to the next generation of artists,” explains Julie.

Every edition of the free program is different, and it is now attended by around 12 teens. Last week, Leila Block led the students to design the Fire in the Hole radio show and got outfitted with a Surreal wearable art dress by fiber artist Margie McDonald. Leila is performing a soundscape experience at the upcoming Surreal show at Aurora Gallery and the kids were able to be part of the backstage process. October 13, Chris Witkowski will host a Memento Mori theme and on October 27, Dana Sullivan will teach pumpkin carving with pro tools. There is always something new to explore, like drawing techniques with different drawing media, figure drawing sessions with live models, self-expression exercises involving music and color response, designing posters for invented bands, creating comics and short films, painting with acrylics and viewing with 3-d glasses, wire sculpture creations and candy wrapper collage. The sky is the limit when it comes to the program and the teens’ creative interests.

“I love that there is freedom to create whatever I feel like with no pressure, and we can explore all sorts of art forms like digital, fashion, radio and more. It’s a safe space with great artists and fun,” explains Grace Black, 12, an assiduous member of BUNKER.

In order to keep the program free and accessible as an after-school option, BUNKER relies on the support of Northwind Art School, provider of the space and online registration process, and PT Artscape, a consortium program with the mission of expanding student access and experience with the arts and providing instruction and mentoring to artists who wish to teach. Unfortunately, this year marks the first that the organization did not receive the grant from the Washington State Arts Commission, a change that can rattle the support for BUNKER snacks and supplies. Michele Soderstrom, art teacher at the Port Townsend high school and coordinator of PT Artscape, is seeking donations and support in lieu of the sudden loss of funds. For the future of the program, Julie Reads dreams of weekly editions and future art shows with the students so they can learn the whole process from creating to showing. There are also mentorship opportunities and the possibility of moving the studio around to rotating locations like woodworking and ceramic studios, theater playwriting, music and performance.

Find the calendar of demos and the registration form at northwindart.org. To volunteer as an artist host or helper, email Julie Read at artbyjulieread@gmail.com, or come to the Bunker meeting on Saturday October 28 10-12 in Northwind’s building 324. To donate, visit ptartscape.com.