QUILCENE — Tamara Lenzen learned Tuesday morning that the March 22 Oso mudslide claimed yet another member of her family.
The Quilcene resident’s son, Ryan, 29, called her to say searchers had discovered the body of her brother, Thom Satterlee, 65, whose house was directly in the path of the midmorning mudslide.
Lenzen, 55, learned Saturday that Satterlee’s wife, Marcy, 61, and Lenzen’s grandniece’s fiance, Alan Bejvl, 21, were among the confirmed victims.
The confirmed death toll from the slide rose from 24 to 27 on Tuesday, with 19 positively identified. Officials said 22 people are still missing.
Lenzen has yet to learn the fate of her grandniece, Delaney Webb, 19, who was staying with her fiance at the Satterlees’ home when disaster struck.
Lenzen’s son is with several family members in Oso “to see what they could find and try to see if they could find the rest of the family,” Lenzen said.
“It’s getting harder and harder all the time,” she said.
“I’ve got my family. I’ve just got to let everyone know what we found out.
“It’s not easy, and I’ll probably do a lot more crying.”
Electrician Ron deQuilletes, 52, of Bothell, whose father-in-law, Omer Vigoren, lives in Port Angeles, also remains among the missing, Vigoren said Tuesday.
He was working on a house that was leveled by mud 11 days ago.
Vigoren received an update early Tuesday afternoon from his daughter, La Rae deQuilletes, 51, a class of 1980 Port Angeles High School graduate.
“She’s heard nothing about Ron,” said Vigoren, 78, pastor at Bethany Pentecostal Church in Port Angeles.
“They haven’t found him, but she still hopes they find his body,” Vigoren said.
“She said if they don’t, she’ll have to deal with it.
“She’s a strong girl. She made that clear.
“She said, ‘Dad, I’m being strong with God’s help, with God’s help.’”
The deQuilletes have three grown children and a teenage girl: daughters Ashlee, 29, and Allyn 27; a son, Arie, 23; and Audra, 16.
The Satterlees have two grown children who did not live in Oso: Nichole, 39, and Andrea, 35.
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5060, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
