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Brian Illston was 82 and passed on Valentines Day 2026. He was always gracious and funny, but he could hold his ground when needed. He lived at Timber Ridge (Retirement Community on Talus Hill in Issaquah) and he foresaw the benefit of ham radios after taking a CERT class. So, he immediately went and got his ham license/radios/equipment/etc. and encouraged others to do so as well.
He was instrumental in convincing Timber Ridge management to install a UHF/VHF antenna on the roof of the building (work in progress). And he always looked forward to the October “Shake Out” drills where he could prove that ham radios could “out-communicate” all other modes of communication in a disaster. He will be missed.
- Rick West, KK7NFM, 3/6/2026
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