Seattle businessman Lynn Himmelman dies at age 95

The hotel business was in Lynn Himmelman's blood, but the art of hospitality was as much a passion as a profession to the former CEO of Westin Hotels, who died at his Seattle home Dec. 17. He was 95.

"He had an amazing, intense interest in making others happy — simply one of the most gracious men I've known," said retired bank executive Robert M. Arnold, a friend of Mr. Himmelman's for a half-century and traveling partner around the globe.

The key to Mr. Himmelman's success, said daughter Barbara Krekow, of Seattle, was how much his work fit his personality. "He loved every aspect of hospitality — food, beverage, travel." At gatherings, she said, her father always made sure everyone was comfortable and had something to eat and drink.

Mr. Himmelman's impact on the Seattle community went far beyond his own field. He had served on numerous corporate boards and was a former trustee of the Seattle Art Museum, president of the Rainier Club and a member of the Seattle Seahawks' founding ownership group.

Lynn Paul Himmelman was born May 23, 1912, in Mankato, Minn. While a youngster, he went to work for his father washing dishes and working as a bellhop at a Fairmont, Minn., hotel.

After the family moved to Seattle in 1928, he attended Broadway High School and the University of Washington before enrolling at Cornell University, where he earned his bachelor's degree in hotel management.

After graduation, he worked at the Multnomah Hotel in Portland, then went to San Francisco, where he was an assistant manager at the Sir Francis Drake and St. Francis hotels.

Two weeks after he married Annette Jones in California in 1941, Pearl Harbor was attacked, and Mr. Himmelman soon joined the Navy, eventually serving aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ticonderoga as lieutenant commander in the South Pacific.

After the war, he returned to Seattle as manager of the Benjamin Franklin Hotel and later joined Western International Hotels, which would become Westin Hotels. Originally working from offices in Seattle's Olympic Hotel, Mr. Himmelman helped shape the company's expansion into Asia, Latin America, Canada and South Africa.

Besides his work, he enjoyed good food, wine, the arts and golf and served as president of the Seattle Golf Club.

Despite his powerful positions, Mr. Himmelman was a caring, understanding boss who brought out the best in those who worked with him. "He never had a harsh word," said Ruth Smith of Seattle, his personal secretary for 31 years. "He motivated others by showing how much he appreciated a job well done."

Smith said Mr. Himmelman's signature concern for others continued even in illness during the last months of his life. When caregivers would arrive in the morning to assist him, he would invariably ask how they were — before they had a chance to ask about him.

In 1978, Mr. Himmelman figured in an uncomfortable episode for Seattle's two daily newspapers, which published a fabricated story planted by Seattle police. The incident occurred after Mr. Himmelman had been shot in the leg by an intruder at his home and subsequently received anonymous death threats, instructing him to take $200,000 to a phone booth along Aurora Avenue.

Mr. Himmelman delivered the money, but when it wasn't picked up, police became concerned the caller might think he hadn't complied. After police officials contacted top editors at The Seattle Times and Seattle Post-Intelligencer, a report was planted for unwitting reporters, not naming Himmelman, and saying someone had found a bag of cash next to a phone booth. Both newspapers ran the false story, although details of the extortion plot later emerged.

Mr. Himmelman's first wife died in 1984, and in 1986, he married Barbara Duncan Bronson, who survives him. Survivors also include a sister, Ruth Himmelman Wright; sons Paul Himmelman, of Portland, and Keith Himmelman, of Napa, Calif.; six grandchildren; and one great-grandchild; and his wife's children; Duncan Bronson, of Winthrop, Barbara Massie, of Lynchburg, Va., and Phyllis Harris, of California; 10 grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren.

A memorial service has been held. Remembrances may be sent to the Chief Seattle Council of the Boy Scouts of America for its scholarship program at P.O. Box 440408, Seattle, WA 98114 or to the Barbara and Lynn Himmelman Music Scholarship at the University of Washington at P.O. Box 358240, Seattle, WA 98195-8240.

Jack Broom: 206-464-2222 or jbroom@seattletimes.com