Since his hire in 2012, Duane Wald, ICHS construction representative, played an important role in all International Community Health Services’ (ICHS) construction and expansion projects. Wald, in particular, was instrumental in successfully building and launching the organization’s Bellevue, Shoreline and vision clinics, overseeing contractors and builders, from initial groundbreaking to opening day and beyond.

Wald passed away on July 12, leaving behind many colleagues and community members who will miss his resourceful and constant presence, and his dedicated work to keep the facilities at ICHS’ eight clinic locations in excellent condition and repair.

“Duane was hard to miss, the tallest guy at ICHS,” said Tim McDade, ICHS facilities supervisor. “If you saw him walking down the corridor of your clinic, it usually meant something was getting fixed. He was extremely dedicated in his willingness to show up for work at any hour, day or night. During power outages, he would help transfer vaccines between clinics. When a pipe froze and burst early in the morning, Duane was the first to show up.”

“Duane leaves behind many at ICHS who will miss him,” said Teresita Batayola, ICHS president and CEO. “Duane worked construction in Seattle for many years. He was with a large construction firm when he supervised the International District remodel in 2009. He was skeptical of community clinics, but became curious about our impact on people. Then he came out of retirement to help ICHS build the Shoreline and Bellevue clinics. He loved ICHS and was fiercely protective of our sites. He was a huge part of the facility department.”

Wald is survived by his wife Zola, son Jerome and daughter Helki. Among his requests to friends and family was that they refrain from a memorial or donations, and remember him for his donation of his body to UW Medicine for research.