Obituaries

A tall, quiet, meticulous man, known for his graceful writing and carefully crafted stories, William T. Gough was often called "The Captain" by his colleagues at The Seattle Times, where he worked as a staff reporter for about three decades.

It wasn't clear how the nickname emerged — perhaps from his in-air reporting from a 1988 round-the-world Boeing 747 charity flight that broke world speed records. Or perhaps it was bestowed because the slim, carefully dressed Mr. Gough always maintained the formal bearing of a gentleman, a man in control.

Mr. Gough, 84, died Feb. 6 at his Green Lake-area home after a brief illness, with his son and former daughter-in-law at his side.

Mr. Gough's exterior — the gracious, pipe-smoking professorial air — might have lulled some observers into thinking that was all there was. In fact, while he was unfailingly kind and polite, he had a wicked, dry wit, a mean tennis game and a deep, infectious laugh, former colleagues said. He loved long road trips and animals, befriending a feral cat near his home after he retired.

Mr. Gough was a keen observer who insisted on knowing the background, politics and inside story of whatever he wrote about. He was deeply knowledgeable about a wide range of subjects.

"He often worked Saturdays and would turn around these amazingly well-written stories for the Sunday local cover," said Peter Lewis, a former colleague, "with almost poetic descriptions of landscapes, people and events."

He wrote with grace even about such mundane subjects as transportation or government process, said Kathy Triesch, an editor at the newspaper. "It was as if he knew the world of politics, especially, included a lot of puffery and silliness, and he wasn't taken in by it, but would try to see past it to get at what was true and even important."

Mr. Gough, said Times reporter Jack Broom, always kept a "steady and calm sense of mission," helping allay the stress of news reporting with a regular daily walk.

After Mr. Gough retired, Broom said, he always had detailed questions about various stories in the news, never losing interest in his profession and his community.

Mr. Gough was born Nov. 17, 1927, in Estevan, Saskatchewan. He came to Washington state to attend Washington State University, graduated with a degree in English literature and worked as a staff reporter at a newspaper in Yakima, where he met his wife-to-be, Eve Marie Coutley. Mrs. Gough died in 2009.

After he retired from The Seattle Times, Mr. Gough — who remained a Canadian citizen throughout his life — kept up his interests in a wide range of subjects, regularly meeting friends for coffee and tea at Starbucks and Tully's to discuss anything and everything. At times, said his son, Richard Gough, of Seattle, he was visiting with three groups, including one that focused on writing.

"He was such a lover of books and literature and poetry," said Jody Gough, of Shoreline, his former daughter-in-law. "His world was really all about books."

One of his coffee-group friends, Cathy Ackert, helped him format a novella he was writing so he could get it published as an e-book.

Tentatively titled "The Half and Half Man," the book is a coming-of-age tale about an adolescent boy, half French Canadian and half Sioux native, struggling to become recognized for his artistic talent. "I found it very readable," Ackert said. "It drew you into being interested in what happens to him."

In addition to his son, Richard Edward, Mr. Gough is survived by his grandson, Nathan William, and two granddaughters, Jessica Lee and Samantha Lynn.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 18, at Keystone Congregational Church, 5019 Keystone Place N., Seattle; 206-632-6021.

Carol M. Ostrom: 206-464-2249 or costrom@seattletimes.com. On Twitter @costrom.