By Donna Etchey
Kitsap News Group
Chris Case, a former editor of the North Kitsap Herald and longtime resident of Bainbridge Island, died April 5.
After years of battling rheumatoid arthritis, Case passed away in Portland, surrounded by her family.
Case worked as the editor of the North Kitsap Herald from 1998 to 2002. She was also a member of the Poulsbo Rotary Club, where she served on the board as treasurer for several years.
“If there was one word that would describe Chris, it would be the word personable. Chris as a newspaper editor was first and foremost personable, never mind her work was to analyze and sometimes be critical,” said Ed Stern, a Poulsbo City Councilman and fellow Rotarian.
“Chris was a huge supporter of the efforts to lead public broadband access, and I believe she would have been thrilled to see the recent developments in that regard.”
Case’s career spanned across the country. Her business career included creative and account management positions with major advertising agencies in Chicago, where she handled large national and international accounts before starting a family and moving to Bainbridge Island in 1988.
Case and her husband Win started Case & Case, a marketing and advertising company on Bainbridge Island, serving a variety of local businesses until she joined the Seattle Public School District as their director of communications.
She became the editor of the North Kitsap Herald in 1998, where she served in that position until 2002. She then joined the North Kitsap School District as director of communications and public relations.
Case left the school district to become the senior director of communications for the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services. She retired in 2016 due to health-related reasons.
“Chris was a very special person, her deep commitment, love and appreciation for the North Kitsap community, its families and children were profound,” said Gene Medina, former North Kitsap School District superintendent.
“Her work as a journalist, editor and spokesperson for the community and its schools was a guiding light at all times. Her work and words enabled so many to understand the vital importance of community life, the education of children and youth and the role of schools in our daily lives. She was truly a very special light in the community. Her energy, smile, commitment and caring will be missed.”
Case was a writer, wife, mother, friend and colleague to many and a friendly — albeit chatty stranger — to everyone else who crossed her path. She passionately cared about her family and friends, her communities and their schools, as well as the trajectories of the Seattle Mariners and Chicago Cubs, of which she was delighted to finally see win a championship in 2016.
Those who knew Case personally and professionally can speak to her kindness, wisdom and grace. She mentored countless young men and women as they got their start in their respective fields.
She was born in Laramie, Wyoming on Sept. 22, 1948 to George Bristol and Ann Bristol. The first child in the family, she was raised in Laramie with her younger sister and brother, Margaret and Frank. Case graduated from Laramie High School in 1966 and went on to attend the University of Wyoming, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communications in 1970.
Her son James Case wrote: “Although her family is left bereft by her passing, they wish to emphasize the endless positivity Chris brought to all facets of her life and the lives around her. The entire family would like to express their gratitude for the outpouring of love they have received in the days since Chris’s passing. “
Case was predeceased by her parents. She is survived by her husband, Winslow Case; their children, Kelley Baker and James Case; her sister Margaret Miller; brother Frank Bristol; niece DeDe Forwood; and nephews Brian Forwood, Jason Miller, Kyle Bristol and Caleb Bristol.
