Nicholas William Rathke

Nicholas William Rathke, son, brother, uncle and friend, died on August 22, 2021 in Tacoma,
WA. He was born on April 29th, 1981, in Seattle, WA.
Nick grew up in Allyn, WA and graduated from North Mason High School in 1999. He attended
Western Washington University and Olympic College where he studied electrical engineering.
He continued that work at Safe Boats, Blue Origin, and most recently at  Amazon’s Project
Kuiper.
If you knew Nick you know that he was honest, funny and loyal. He was knowledgeable and
passionate about diving deep into learning about things he was interested in. He loved music,
and had an eclectic repertoire that he shared with his friends and family. He loved collecting
motorcycles, scooters and was a true 80’s fan. He was our go-to person for movie tips, podcasts
and all things entertainment and he loved playing board games and video games with friends.
Nick was passionate about spotting injustice and was active in his promotion of equality and
inclusion of all. He hated hypocrisy and was courageous in calling out systems that oppressed
the weak and lifted the powerful.
Nick was very proud of several amazing accomplishments. He purchased a home that he loved
to work on. He had a new car to commute in that he loved, and a new van that he had lots of
adventures planned for but the thing he celebrated the most was his sobriety. He was
extremely proud of his work on himself, his health and happiness.
He is survived by his parents, William and Mary Rathke, brothers Matt (and wife Tracy), Michael
(and wife Becky), sister Amy and his nieces Taylor, Emma, and Zoe and nephew Matty. He also
had a circle of close friends that he loved fiercely.
A memorial service is planned for September 12th at Camp Gallagher 1304 Russell Rd SW,
Lakebay WA 98349 at 1PM. Camp Gallagher is a rustic setting. Please dress for the weather
and bring a camping chair for seating. We regret that because of the rising COVID numbers, in order to protect vulnerable family members and friends, we will require all guests to be vaccinated and wear masks. There will be a video link available for those unable to join us in person.
Remembrances can be made in honor of Nick to Camp Gallagher
https://campgallagher.org/nick or, SightLife https://givesightlife.org Nick was an organ donor and was able to give the gift of
sight to a person as a last act of love.
Online condolences may be left at www.GaffneyCares.com