Theodore W. (Ted) Hermann, 99 of Port Angeles, WA. Ted was born in Crosby, North Dakota, on June 29, 1921, to German immigrants Wilhelm and Caroline (Ludke) Hermann. He passed away peacefully in his sleep on Sunday, August 23, 2020.

In 1936, at 15 years old, Ted and his entire family, including aunts, uncles and cousins, buckled under the devastation of the dust bowl. They abandoned their farms, gathered the things they could pack and moved to western Washington. Ted found work as a laborer, logging with Glenn Corning and haying when someone needed the help. He then worked for Fiberboard in Port Angeles, that made the paper for egg cartons.

Ted joined the Coast Guard in 1942, which at the time was part of the U.S. Navy. He served 3 years, 11 months and 11 days during WWII and earned his way to Signalman 3rd class. He was stationed in San Francisco for the majority of his service. He was deployed in the Pacific theater on the USS Bayfield in 1945. On the Bayfield they transported the occupation forces to Aomori, Japan. Ted recalled that the city of Aomori was empty. It was like the residents had walked away. The doors were open and the people were gone. He said it was eerie. Ted was honorably discharged in November 1945.

Ted married Mary Neuenschwander on September 15, 1943, in San Francisco, California. They met July 3, 1936, at a grange dance in Agnew, about a week after Ted arrived in Port Angeles. They never dated anyone else. They enjoyed a true love for the ages. They were a perfect complement of farming husband and wife, each with their own work and working together toward their common goal.
When Ted and Mary returned to Port Angeles, they settled on Mary's family farm. He worked alongside his father-in-law, Fred Neuenschwander until Fred passed in 1962.

Ted became a poultry farmer. He was "the egg man" for 30 years. There was a flock of 6,500 to 11,000 chickens at the farm, at any given time. They laid roughly 8,000 eggs a day. Ted, first with his father-in-law, and then with his sons, worked with the chickens daily. Lighting for inside the chicken houses was some of the first electricity used on the farm. Ted retired in 1975.

Ted valued and cherished his family above all else. He was button-bursting proud of his sons' accomplishments with Hermann Brothers Logging. Outside of military service, his boys have never drawn a paycheck from another company. Together, they build many successful businesses, including Ponderay Valley Fibre, Sunset Wire Rope and Evergreen Fibre. Ted was an excellent role model for hard work and persistence and it shows. His grandkids and great grandkids were the apple of his eye. He was always happy to see them and would talk about their visits and phone calls for days.

Ted's life was enriched by his hobbies, like woodworking and music. In his spare time, he built furniture and made home improvements. For instance, each of his grandchildren have a desk grandpa made them. He liked working with his hands to create something useful.
His music touched many lives. He sang and played harmonica backwards. His oldest brother, Gottlieb, taught him to play the harmonica and Ted mirrored his movements, so he learned to play the harmonica backwards. Not long after moving to PA, Ted won the talent show at Arts in Action singing Cattle Call. That opened the door to him singing with several bands. One of the first bands included Angelo Gallacci. Angelo met and married Ted's sister, Emily. He frequently would be called on stage at a dance to sing a few songs with Gayle and Denny Secord or the band playing at the grange or VFW. All of his sons play an instrument. Ted's son, Steve, and grandsons, Ted and Sam all play the fiddle. This led to many trips to Weiser, Idaho, to enjoy the fiddle competitions.

St. Matthew Lutheran Church was a major part of Ted's life. His family was German Lutheran and brought the church with them from the old country, then from North Dakota to Port Angeles. Ted and his family helped build the church in Port Angeles. Ted was an elder in the church for many years. He considered it a blessing to see all of his kids, grandkids and great-grandkids baptized at St. Matthew's Lutheran.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary; his parents, Wilhelm and Caroline Herman; and five siblings, Gottleib Hermann, Olga Herman, Elsie Woodside, Ed Herman and Emily Gallacci.

Ted is survived by his 3 sons, Bill and Kay Hermann, Fred Hermann, Steve and Linda Hermann. He had five grandkids (and their spouses), Joe and Erica Hermann, Kary and Wayne Brown, Mike and Rashell Hermann, Sam and Kristin Hermann and Ted and Kristin Hermann. He was blessed with nine great-grandkids.

There was a graveside service Saturday, August 29, 2020, at the Blue Mountain Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to St. Matthew Lutheran Church Memorial Fund.

Drennan & Ford Funeral Home in Port Angeles is entrusted with his arrangements. Please sign the online guestbook for his family at www.drennanford.com .