NORDLAND — Barry and Ellen Lerich have been selected Marrowstone Island Citizens of the Year for 2023.
The selection was announced Jan. 16.
This couple has been stalwarts of the island since moving to the island in 2001, according to the Marrowstone Island Community Association (MICA), in a press release.
Barry Lerich served in the U.S. Navy for 26 years. After 10 years of enlisted submariner service, he became an officer. He was aboard the first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, when it accomplished the first undersea voyage from the Pacific to the Atlantic via the geographic North Pole in 1958, association members said.
Sixty-five years later, in 2024, Barry and his wife, Ellen, embarked on a National Geographic cruise to the opposite end of the earth — Antarctica.
Barry is past vice president and president of MICA, has been on the nomination committee for new members and currently serves as treasurer.
He was instrumental in updating the outdated MICA bylaws and did major work in refurbishing the deteriorating “Welcome” sign at the entry to Marrowstone Island, association members said.
He developed and manages the website for MICA and has been an active member in the Friends of Fort Flagler and Marrowstone Island Foundation.
As a long-time member of the Nordland/Marrowstone Island Garden Club, Ellen has served as president, treasurer, parliamentarian and trustee.
She participates in the plant sale and wreath-making fundraisers for this organization on the island and also served several terms as secretary for MICA.
This couple has supported Dove House and the Jumping Mouse Children’s Center in Port Townsend and Bayside Housing and Services in Port Hadlock, association members said.
They are involved in the Bet Shira Congregation, serving as treasurer, helping with membership, holiday celebrations and welcoming new members.
