William L. Ashley, Aug. 3, 1976, South Central Region, maintenance laborer. William and a co-worker were checking flood damage off of State Route 128 when their vehicle was hit by a wall of water. The co-worker jumped to safety, but William was thrown from the cab and killed.

Wayne "Jake" Baardson, Aug. 12, 2002, Northwest Region, maintenance tech 2. Jake was securing a mower to a trailer on the shoulder of State Route 18 near Covington when an erratic driver left the highway and struck him.

William R. Pitts, Aug. 20, 1951, Eastern Region, engineering aide. William was working near railroad tracks when he was struck by a locomotive.

Donald E. Fritsvold, Aug. 21, 1991, Southwest Region, maintenance tech 2. Donald was clearing litter from Interstate 5 when he ran from the shoulder into traffic to pick up paper, apparently misjudging the speed of an on-coming vehicle, which struck him.

Richard L. Androsko, Aug. 28, 1984, Northwest Region, maintenance tech 2. Richard was directing traffic around a rock spill on a highway. A driver hit their brakes and swerved suddenly, striking Richard.

Harold L. Gustafson, Aug. 31, 1973, Northwest Region, maintenance tech 1. Harold was removing cones after edge striping on Interstate 5 and was struck by a vehicle exiting the freeway on an off-ramp.

The Memorial Foundation awarded two educational grants to two very deserving students to attend college in the 2016-2017 academic year. Nellie Williams will continue her studies at Centralia Community college and Tristin Richards will begin his second year at Peninsula Community College in Forks. Nellie is the daughter of Sam William who was killed on Highway 12 in 2000. Tristin is the son of Neal Richards who was killed while working on the peninsula in 2009.

The Memorial Foundation annual grant program is uniquely tailored to assist surviving children and spouses of fallen WSDOT workers who have died in the line of duty. “The Foundation Officers and Board of Directors are proud to provide educational grants to these young adults, thus furthering their education in the fields of their choice” said Foundation Vice President and Grant Committee Chair Kevin Dayton. He went on to say that this would not have been possible without the excellent support of the contributing members of the Memorial Foundation.