By Nancy Bittner
David Arndt, DDS – David was born in Gaylord, MI, which is a town of gas stations & restaurants on I-75 in northern Michigan. He got his undergrad degree at Michigan State University and then attended dental school at the University of Michigan. He joined the Army and did a dental residency, spending a year in Korea and five years at Ft. Lewis (now JBLM) in Tacoma. He met his wife there. She is a dental hygienist. They continue to work together today in a solo practice located on Queen Anne Hill in Seattle. They have 2 daughters & 1 son. His oldest daughter is a nurse in Utah, second daughter attends WSU, & his son goes to O’Dea HS. David has coached sports & has been involved in Boy Scouts. He enjoys the outdoors & likes to ski, hunt, & fish. He lives next door to current USRC President Tom Ranken & has for 20+ years.
Dan Byrne – Dan grew up in Syracuse, NY in a family of 9 kids. Following high school he tried college but dropped out & spent some time being a car mechanic. At age 25 he returned to college at Tufts University in Boston & got a graduate degree from Stanford. A sales job with Boeing brought him to Seattle. He owned his own company from 1984 – 2006 before selling it to Airgas. He’s a refrigeration engineer & is currently a student in an AMP (Masters) program at UW studying nanotechnology. He also manages commercial real estate properties in the Sodo neighborhood. Dan has served on many boards in the area. His hobbies include bike riding (he has ridden across Mongolia), woodworking, & playing golf. He is the father of three boys, the oldest currently lives in London. He loves coffee & has been a friend & worked with USRC President Tom Ranken for 20-25 years.
Lincoln Ferris – Before joining USRC, Lincoln was a member of West Seattle Rotary Club from 1991-2003. He was born in Minnesota & relocated to Seattle at age 15 when his parents divorced & his Mother moved West with 5 kids to get an education & find a job. He returned to the Midwest to attend McAllister College & University of Wisconsin – Madison. He has been married for 40 years, has twin boys, & 4 grandkids. He is a serial entrepreneur having owned 5 businesses. He has been involved with the YMCA, BSA, Municipal League, King County Council, Seattle Chamber of Commerce, & a lobbyist in Washington, D.C. In 2013 he became involved in creative finance projects for Seattle Community Colleges & continues to work in major capital projects & administrative services. Lincoln has known USRC President Tom Ranken for 30 + years.
Walker LaFleur – Walter is an RN & manages NW Kidney Center branches in Northgate & Everett. He was born in Haiti to a family of 6 children. His Dad moved to Florida & Walter immigrated when he was 9 years old. He graduated high school in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. His Dad decided to move the family to Lancaster, PA. There Walker worked in warehouse jobs. Not liking PA, he moved back to the west coast of FL. He became a licensed insurance sales agent which he did until the market crashed in 2008. By this time he had a wife & twins (1 boy, 1 girl) & needed to find a way to support his family. He became a dialysis technician & at the urging of his wife, who is a nurse, enrolled at Hodges University in Ft. Myers, FL & obtained his nursing degree. He also opened an urgent mobile phlebotomy service with 3 employees. Walter also enjoys being a consultant & healthcare coach. He enjoys running, hiking, & all outdoor activities. Walker learned of USRC through our cherished member Dr. Hal Ellner who is a patient at NW Kidney Centers.
Isaac McNally – Isaac was born in UT but moved to Montana at the age of 10. He has an older brother & a younger sister. He loves to hunt, fish, camp, & anything having to do with the outdoors. When he was 12 yrs. old his Mother was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer. His Mom was an active volunteer in church, school, & library activities. Isaac claims to have been a Mama’s boy but he admired her strength & her relationship with Jesus & her faith to deal with her illness. Sadly Isaac’s Mother passed away when he was 16 & a junior in high school. He attended MSU-Billings for a time but dealt with issues of deep depression & anxiety. Following his Mother’s example he turned to his faith to draw him out of this dark phase of his life. He obtained a degree from Sunset International Bible Institute in Lubbock, TX. It was here that he met his wife Heather as her brother was a preacher there. All of Heather’s family are big TX Tech Red Raider fans!. Isaac spent 6 months doing mission work in Nicaragua & worked for Sojourn Campus Ministries in Commerce, TX. Isaac moved to Seattle about 2 years ago with the same organization. Due to Covid restrictions & no students on campus, Isaac is now focused on in home worship & church planting. Although he is a country boy at heart he does enjoy the diversity offered by living in a big city. Isaac was a member of a Rotary club in Commerce, TX & came to us via Dr. Hal Ellner.
Stuart Webber – Stuart is a former member of USRC & is rejoining us after having retired from his teaching career. Originally from Marin County, CA he got an undergraduate degree from the school of business at UC-Berkely. He has a PhD. in economics for a university in Denmark. He spent 20 years working for HP. His first boss at HP later became his wife. They have two kids. His son, a Tufts U. grad, is in the Peace Corp in the Republic of Georgia & his daughter likes animals more than people & is engaged to be married. Stuart has taught business classes at UW Bothell, St. Martin’s College, & Trinity Lutheran College. He is learning French & is a dedicated Dead Head since he was in the 6th grade.
Welcome new members!