In 2003-ish, a veteran bartender dusted off a recipe for an all-but-forgotten cocktail. In the process, he planted Seattle’s flag in the new territory of craft cocktail bars. Murray Stenson passed away in September at age 74. His loss prompted an outpouring of Murray memories from, literally, across the globe. Because Stenson’s biggest legacy isn’t the Last Word: It was the way he made any customer feel seen and remembered and cared for, whether you showed up for a well drink or a tutorial on gin cocktails through the ages. And the way a new generation of bartenders showed up and took notes.

It bears repeating, I can’t retain my regularly scheduled journalistic remove when writing about a friend I still miss every day. Rachel Marshall built an idea (a nonalcoholic ginger beer that has personality—and actual ginger) into a product, Rachel's Ginger Beer. She and her partner, Adam Peters, then built a farmers market stall into a business with a national reach, not to mention four local bars. Rachel’s Ginger Beer opened up so many avenues for NA drinks, a legacy that resonates even more given Rachel’s private struggles. Rachel was just 42 when she passed away in April, a woman who bootstrapped an impressive business, then showed up for this city and for her industry in myriad ways. She was a connector, eager to share her knowledge, experience, and contacts to help others succeed.

The cool thing about Thierry Rautureau: He never stopped exploring and learning. The Chef in the Hat came up in high-end French kitchens, with their harsh brigade systems. He ended up in Seattle, a champion of Northwest ingredients and a force in defining what fine dining can mean here. Rautureau passed away in October at age 64. I was on sabbatical, so I didn’t get to write about how he maintained incredibly high technical standards but intentionally shied away from being stuffy. How he won a James Beard Award in 1998 and mentored countless cooks sans the temper tactics he witnessed as a young chef. How he was charitable and lively and still eager to be out in the world even when a diagnosis of pulmonary fibrosis required him to have an oxygen tank in tow. Rautureau was crazy about his wife and sons, but his bromance with Tom Douglas was always an absolute delight to witness (or listen to on their radio show).

The “mayor of Columbia City” had a long history in Seattle restaurants, but we owe him a particular debt of gratitude for opening Geraldine’s Counter (with a business partner) in 2005. Since 2015, Snyder also co-owned Heyday Bar and Restaurant in Mount Baker. Both spots reminded us of restaurants’ power to build community and give heart to a neighborhood. Places like this don’t happen by accident. They happen because of guys like Snyder, someone who knew how to make anyone feel welcome. He passed away in May at 57 after battling lymphoma, but his persona still permeates both his restaurants.

Technically she resided in Shelton, but Dwelley’s influence spanned the Puget Sound. If there’s such a thing as an oyster celebrity (and there should be) it was this champion shucker who died November 17 at 72. Years ago, her bosses at Taylor Shellfish Farms were smart enough to give Dwelley her own restaurant. Xinh’s Clam and Oyster House was a destination in Shelton until it closed in 2016, during her first battle with cancer. Dwelley arrived in Olympia from Vietnam in 1970. Over the years, she cooked for the likes of Julia Child and Anthony Bourdain, wrote multiple cookbooks, and helped countless people become more conversant in Northwest shellfish. Dwelley may have begun with oysters, but she also had a particular way with geoduck; the clam starred in Dwelley's famed chowder recipe, easily one of Washington’s great dishes.