Since 2003, the Washington State Genealogical Society has recognized more than 450 outstanding volunteers and teams, nominated by their local society or genealogical organization for their service and dedication. These volunteers are the backbone of their local society, giving their time and expertise, to the organization and the field of genealogy. In the coming months, you will be introduced to each of the 2015 award recipients and learn why they received the 2015 WSGS Outstanding Volunteer and Team Award.

Today we’re introducing Diane Ulrich Partington of Mount Vernon, Washington, who was nominated by the Skagit Valley Genealogical Society (SVGS). She was recognized for her ardent commitment to researching genealogical queries.

Diane Partington

Ms. Partington is SVGS’s resident researcher. She spends countless hours researching information for people from all over the world. She gathers obituaries and funeral home records, as well as Skagit County birth and death records. She does courthouse genealogical research and frequently makes visits to county cemeteries to locate and photograph headstones.

In addition to local research, Ms. Partington frequently assists other communities in the preservation of cemetery records for the development of research databases. She has been instrumental in maintaining SVGS’s collection of records from local funeral homes and collecting and preserving obituaries from local newspapers.

Ms. Partington is a valued and dynamic member of the SVGS. Her qualities illustrate that she richly deserved being a recipient of a 2015 WSGS Outstanding Volunteer Award.

For more information on the WSGS Outstanding Volunteer Award program, visit the Recognition page of the WSGS website or contact Roxanne Lowe, Recognition Chair, at Roxanne@thekeeffes.com.