by Kate Christie, VRNW board member
In mid-February, Josselyn Winslow, co-founder and longtime board member of VSED Resources Northwest, became ill. Then came a fall. That was all it took–Josselyn was 95 years old and had lived a long, full life. She let her family, close friends, and medical team know that she would soon stop eating and drinking. Less than a week later, on February 26, 2026, Josselyn achieved the good death she had planned at home, in the care of her family.
One of VRNW’s original founders, Josselyn often said that Whatcom County is a good place to live and a good place to die. She was also a founding member of the Alzheimer Society of Washington, now known as Dementia Support Northwest. Drawn to her work with Alzheimer’s and VSED issues by personal experience, Josselyn used that experience to educate and assist others for more than 40 years. Her mother, who had Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and lived in a nursing home at the end of her life, died in 1985 when she refused to eat. Josselyn’s husband, Frank, also had dementia. In 2017, knowing the path of the disease, he chose to end his life by stopping eating and drinking. Through advocacy, Josselyn hoped to help others by providing direct support and education about living with Alzheimer’s and caring for someone with AD, and by spreading awareness of VSED as an end-of-life option. She achieved both aims ably, and our organization and the broader community is better for her efforts.
But Josselyn was more than the sum of her advocacy. She was a caring wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother; a kind friend, patient leader, and stalwart supporter of the right of her fellow humans to determine their own path. When my father was diagnosed with Lewy Body dementia a few years ago, she was one of the first people I called to talk about next steps. I knew I could depend on her compassion, and I knew she would offer wise counsel. When Dad died, Josselyn came to his memorial service, not because she knew my father but in order to support me and the rest of my family. As I gave the eulogy, Josselyn looked on with the patient, calm smile I had grown familiar with over the years of our work together at VRNW.
We will miss her at VRNW, but at the same time, we are thankful that Josselyn did not linger in a body that no longer served her. She was clear about her wishes, and she achieved her goal. As she said a few years ago during an interview with the Art of Aging project, “Life has been grand, and now I want to have a good death.”
Rest well, Josselyn. We love you.
MORE:
– Read Josselyn’s VRNW story, in her own words
– Read Josselyn’s obituary from the Bellingham Herald, archived on Legacy.com
– Watch Josselyn’s Art of Aging interview from April 2021: