Sheldon (Shel) Klasky, 78, of Bainbridge Island, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on the morning of Feb. 17, 2018.

Born Dec. 20, 1939 in Detroit, Michigan to Manuel and Adele (Sherman) Klasky, he was one of four children. Shel first met Arleen (Getz) Klasky, his wife of 55 years, while both were attending UCLA.

They were married on Sept. 9, 1962 and were amongst the first riders of the Space Needle and Monorail during their honeymoon at the Seattle World’s Fair.

Shel obtained a doctorate’s degree in microbiology and spent his career as an executive at various surgical product companies including Johnson & Johnson and 3M. Upon retirement, he spent much of his time volunteering and traveling. His greatest joy was his family, and his sharp sense of humor and generous spirit brightened the lives of all who knew him.

He is survived by his wife Arleen; his brother and sister-in-law Irving and Sandra Klasky of Northridge, California; his sister and brother-in-law Sophia and Max Litt of Placentia, Calif.; his daughter and son-in-law Mindy and Mark Maddrey of Arlington, Virginia; and his son and daughter-in-law (and two grandsons) Ben Klasky, Lisa Timmins, Jake and Eli Klasky of Bainbridge Island.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts can be made to the Bainbridge Community Foundation (where Shel sat on the board), IslandWood (where Shel was a docent), or a charity of your choice.

A celebration of his life will be held on April 22 at IslandWood.