| Graduation Year | Class of 1969 |
| Date of Passing | Jun 10, 2005 |
| About | Junior Year photo. ***************** YAKIMA - Gregory Lee Mott, 54, of Yakima, passed away on June 10th 2005 at Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital; from a brain hemorrhage. Greg was born in Seattle, Washington on June 28th 1950 to George Leonard Mott and Bette Marie (Mattoon) Mott. The family moved to Sunnyside when Greg was nine months old. When Greg was 12, the family relocated to Yakima. He attended Wilson Jr. High and graduated from Eisenhower in 1969. He graduated from Central Washington University in 1974 with degrees in English and Psychology. He met the love of his life, Linda, at Central and they married on August 19th 1972. He worked as manager of Giant T Drug Store for many years. He left Giant T and became self-employed, enabling him to be more involved with his children. In 1994 he returned to school at Heritage College in Toppenish to work toward his lifelong dream of becoming a teacher. After substituting around the Yakima Valley for a few years he was hired at McKinley Elementary in 1999 where he taught fourth grade. Greg was active in sports at Wilson Jr. High and Eisenhower High School. He played football, was on the track team, and went to state in wrestling while at Eisenhower. He volunteered at Eisenhower to work with mentally disabled students from the Yakima School in Selah. While his son was growing up, Greg was active in the Boy Scouts of America- specifically Pack 266 and Troop 269. He received numerous awards for leadership and served on many committees with the Boy Scouts. He was the junior leadership trainer for two years at Camp Vista. He was employed at Camp Fife during two summers. He was active in the PTA at Summitview Elementary where his children attended school. He received the Golden Acorn award for his participation. During his third year of teaching at McKinley Elementary he received the Educator of the Year award from the PTA. His last and probably most meaningful award was the recognition he received this past May as teacher of the year from Wal-Mart for Yakima, nominated by a student's parent. He was extremely flattered he was chosen. He touched many and yet he was very humble and unaware of the impact he had. He was a gentle soul who loved the outdoors, nature, children, creatures great and small and his family. He is greatly missed. Greg did not seek accolades for his teaching. He wanted to see his students succeed in life no matter how difficult their circumstances might be. He strived to make his students believe in themselves and to be the best that they could be. When he was able to make one child believe in him/her self and to see the vistas available to them through their knowledge and special skills, it was all the reward Greg needed. Greg's legacy for us is the knowledge that we can all make a difference- whether it is in the way we live our lives, protecting our environment, or in fostering a child's thirst for knowledge. Survivors include his wife of 32 years Linda, daughter Carrie Mott of Tucson, AZ., his son Joshua Mott of Yakima, his brother-in-law Rod Hoffman, his nephews Chad and Ryan Hoffman all of Kent, Washington. His sister Yvonne (Mott) Hoffman preceded him in death in October, 2004, his father, George, in 1972 and his mother, Bette, in 1998. A celebration of his life will be held June 26th at McKinley Elementary School from 1-5 pm. In lieu of flowers a fund in Greg's name has been established on his behalf at the Yakima Valley Credit Union PO Box 2922, Yakima, WA 98907. |
