Hans Kwast

Hans was welcomed into the presence of his Lord and Savior on Monday, October 6, 2025 following a valiant battle with cancer. Hans was born in Lusk, Poland on May 8, 1943. After WWII, at the age of 8, Hans and his family were sponsored into the United States and crossed the Atlantic by ship. Once they reached New York City, they boarded a train and traveled across the United States to West Seattle, WA where the sponsor family was located. Hans served four years in the Air Force and upon his discharge joined the Washington State Patrol. His 30 year career afforded him many different positions. His favorite job was as a Safety Education Officer. He loved interacting with the kids. When he retired, he was the Captain of the statewide detective division. Following retirement from the WSP, he had positions as the Lewis County Public Works Director and Director of Emergency Services and 911 in the Tri-Cities. Hans met his wife, Debbie, while working at the Bellevue State Patrol office. She was the assistant to the State Patrol Psychologist. They married on July 8, 1989. They were blessed with two wonderful daughters, Chelsea and Courtney. Their married life took them from Bellevue to Spokane to Olympia and finally to East Wenatchee. Hans was a man of integrity. He loved the Lord and was a wonderful testimony throughout his life. He enjoyed woodworking, traveling, playing games, studying the origin of hymns, raising his daughters, loving his grandchildren, and interacting with his many friends. He had an amazing sense of humor and was always good for a laugh. His final year of life brought him extreme sickness and pain. However, like everything else he did in life, he faced it with strength and determination and fought to the end with dignity. He was preceded in death by both of his parents. He is survived by his wife, Debbie, daughter, Chelsea (Barbier), Robert, and Annabelle; daughter, Courtney (Armstrong) Shawn, Elodie, and Jax; brother, Alex and Ines, and brother, Pete and Vicki. We are very thankful to the many friends and family who have taken this journey with us with support and prayer. A very special thank you to Audrey and Mike Dingle, who have served unselfishly since the beginning of this ordeal. He fought the good fight. He finished the course. He kept the faith. Well done, good and faithful servant. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Hans’ name to Mountain View Women’s Health, Wenatchee, WA or Tunnel to Towers.

Tributes

Hans Kwast

May 8, 1943 - October 6, 2025